A New Dawn
by Discarab
Summary: After an unexpected anomaly with the ark while on the run from the Order, Allen is thrown far into the future. What does an exorcist do after the holy war is over? According to the Vatican, the obvious answer is education! However, with the end of one battle, a new one begins. Allen is now the last of his kind, and even though the Fourteenth is gone, the Noah remains...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys and welcome to my new story! Some of you might know me from Beacon's Exorcist, my -manxRWBY story or one of my other stories. Now, while my other two are only updated every once in a while, I plan for this one being the next BE. As I take my -man stories very seriously. Anyway, please, grab a chair, grab a drink, sit down and enjoy. I promise that you guys will like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

**Timeline: This story is set at the beginning of the Finding AW arc, and at the end of episode seventeen in Code Geass.**

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**Chapter 1: Arrival**

Allen cried out as he brought his sword down upon another pesky akuma. The demon screamed in pain as his weapon sliced through its flesh. Leaving nothing but a pile of dust in its wake. "Crap..." he mumbled as he felt the ground underneath him start to vibrate. Suddenly, multiple black pits opened up in the road. Each one spewing out legions upon legions of akuma. "These bastards just don't give up, do they?!" His cries fell upon deaf ears as another demon slashed at his back. Thankfully, his white cloak stopped the demon's assault in its tracks.

"Damn exorcist!" Said akuma screeched as Allen grabbed hold of one of its wrists. The second he got an opening, Allen lunged forward and threw the akuma into a nearby building. The force from his throw was enough to send the devil crashing through wall upon wall, and building upon building. It took a nearby mountain to stop the devil's momentum, and even then the force from the impact left quite the hefty crater behind.

"I hope I didn't hit anyone in the crossfire. I need to control myself more." He thought as he blocked another onslaught of attacks. Thanks in part to the Fourteenth's genes flowing through his veins, his body had started to become superhuman. However, with that newly-gained strength came significant drawbacks.

_"Allen..."_ he heard the Fourteenth's voice call out to him from inside his mind. The sound echoed through his head like a large bell, making his head feel as if it where about to explode.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!" Allen whispered fervently as he tried his best to forcefully contain the memories. His right hand clutched around his aching forehead, his skin slowly turning grey.

"I can feel him!" Another akuma said as it crawled up out of the floor. "I can feel the Fourteenth!" With every second that passed he could feel his headache grow worse and worse. Eventually, it got to the point where he could barely move or say anything.

"I've got to... get away!" Allen grunted out as he ground his teeth together, just barely hanging on to consciousness. With every step he took akuma rushed to attack him. However, his Crown Clown wouldn't let any of the demons get close. His innocence chopped them all to pieces in an instant, with the savagery and brutal hatred of a demonic beast. "Thanks Crown Clown." He mumbled as he lightly rubbed his, now aching, left arm. He had been fighting all night and morning, and his arm was slowly starting to flake. Not only that, but the akumas constant attacks had left him tired and sore. Granted, during the fighting he had also been hit quite a few times. However, his inner-noah's healing factor more than made up for those injuries. A few times, one of the demons had even managed to break a few of his bones. But as quickly as it had happened his body rejuvenated itself. It would've been incredibly useful if it wasn't for the near-constant headaches he got whenever it was activated. At the moment, it was honestly more of a burden than a blessing.

"Fourteenth-!" An akuma cried out as it ambushed him from a nearby alleyway. However, before it even had the chance to land a hit. Allen wrapped his claw around the akuma's head and crushed it. Metallic gears and oily blood went everywhere, staining his cloak a brilliant crimson. The devils didn't give him a chance to rest, however, as that akuma wasn't alone. Suddenly, the sky above him was filled to the brim with demons aching for his blood.

"Damn..." he thought as he took out his sword. "I can only do this once, but it has to be done." Without a moments hesitation, he raised his sword into the air and took a deep breath. "Destroy my enemies, Crown Clown!" He yelled out in his mind. Suddenly, a brilliant light started to seep out from all of the demons. Slowly disintegrating each and every one of them until only ashes remained. "Ah hell..." he mumbled as he leaned against a nearby wall, which was now barely more than a pile of rubble. "I'm so tired that I can barely stand." That technique was a powerful one, but it drained his stamina like no other. Thankfully, the holy aura it provided him seemed to have kept whatever akuma that remained at bay. However, they were the least of his problems.

"We just saw a swarm of akuma being destroyed in downtown London! Judging by the abilities we saw, we have no doubt that it's Walker. All teams respond!" Allen held his breath as he pushed himself into the shadows. Moments later, a large platoon of finders rushed through the area. Each one carrying, what looked like, some sort of capturing net. However, that wasn't all, the finders were also accompanied by a small group of crows. In their hands were stacks of pre-made binding charms. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a master of hiding his presence, they would've caught him.

"God... what do I do now?" Allen asked himself as he stared up at the sky. What used to be an encouraging blue horizon had transformed into an oppressive gray fog. "Heh, London weather at its finest." He joked as he quietly slunk out of his hiding spot. When he was certain that the coast was clear, he tightened his vest, pulled up his hood, and started to run. With every step he felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. "I need to find a place to rest..." The fatigue was simply unbelievable. Fighting a near-nonstop onslaught of akuma while battling back the Fourteenth's advances was absolutely exhausting.

"I thought I heard something over there!" Allen heard one of the crows yell as their footsteps drew ever-closer. "It's got to be Walker, finders prepare your barriers!" As if some sort of sick opera, rain started to fall lightly upon the town which his battling had ruined. Craters and cracks from where he had thrown akuma were everywhere, and now, the city was nothing more than a ghost town. Just a den of criminals and demons.

"Ow..." the pain in his left arm seemed to ache more and more with every passing second. The flaking was getting worse too, and it felt like he was losing his mind. "I need to get away!" He thought as he looked longingly towards the sky. If he had the time and energy to practice, he probably could've morphed the Crown Clown's cloak into a pair of wings. However, his time was a precious commodity nowadays. It wasn't like when he was living with the Black Order, where, on his rare days off, he could spend his days training his innocence. Eventually, the fatigue reached his legs, and his pace slowed down to a crawl. "Dammit!" He cursed as he tripped over a pile of rubble, falling face first into the mud. He could hear the footsteps of the finders approaching rapidly from the west, in a few minutes, they would be right on top of him. "I can't let them catch me!" He thought as he flung his right arm forward, searching for something to grab so he could crawl into some tall grass. Granted, if it came to that scenario, he would definitely be caught by the crows. There was, after all, only so much he could push his luck. "Will I have to use the ark?" That thought troubled him to no end. He promised himself that he'd never use that machine again. However, with the situation growing as dire as it was, he was left with little choice. "I just can't let the others learn about Apocryphos. If they ever found out, it would crush them..." Above all else, he had to stop that outcome from happening. Honestly, it was the only thing that kept him going.

_"Just go to sleep Allen. I'll take care of it."_ Again the Fourteenth spoke, this time bringing forth an absolute maelstrom of pain. It took everything in him to stop from screaming. If he did, the crows would easily be able to locate him, and then it would all be over.

"I have to use it!" Allen thought as he forced himself up off of the ground. There was no time to be hesitant, if he waited for even a second longer, then he would end up risking everything he fought for. "For the sake of the holy war, I must prevail!" With that thought driving him forward, he placed his hand down onto the ground and summoned an ark gate. Sadly, this venture caught the attention of the crows. They didn't waste a second before they were on-top of him. With charms in hand, they rushed towards his weak body, readying themselves for an attack.

"He's trying to escape! Finders! Use your barriers!" One of them yelled as they started to cover his body with charms. Every one seemed to double his weight, and by the time he had finally made it to the ark gate, it felt as if he was carrying a building on his shoulders.

"Dammit! He's going to get away!" One of the finders cursed as the man activated his barrier. Sadly, besides blocking his way to the gate, it wasn't very effective. Even in his weakened state, Allen was easily able to break through the barrier. By the time the crows had got within thirty meters of him, he already had one arm in the gate.

"We won't let you get away Walker!" One of the crows yelled again as he flipped out a fresh packet of charms. These ones were actually bound by a complicated-looking lock, and were nearly twice as big as the regular ones.

"Thomas don't! Are you trying to kill him?! Our orders are to bring him back alive!" The man's partner tried to stop him, but it was already too late. The crow had already activated the charm.

"Burn them to cinders, black hell wings!" He yelled out as he thrusted his fist forward, causing a plume of pitch black flames to come billowing out of his arm. They shot towards him at a frightening pace, quicker than the eye could follow, and hit him with the force of a train. Allen cursed when he felt the flames start to bubble his skin as he clawed his way further into the gate. With every motion, he could feel his skin start to darken. With every second, the gate itself started to change, as if it were reacting to its summoners pain. However, it didn't end there. Unlike Link's flames, these didn't go out. Instead, they spread to the gate itself, and started to burn a hole through it.

"The gate!" Allen gasped as he watched his doorway to freedom start to shimmer and shake into nothingness. "What did you do?!" He cried out to the crow, who just cockily looked down at him and smirked.

"With the discovery of the ark, the Order immediately started to develop new charms for us to counteract its abilities. The days of you using that thing as a getaway vehicle are over, Allen Walker!" As the crow charged forward, Allen used the last of his strength to toss himself into the gate.

"I'm not really sure what this will accomplish..." he thought as he just barely dodged the crow's outstretched hand. Thankfully, luck was on his side that day, and he managed to escape into the gate before the crow's magic destroyed it.

"No! Dammit! Allen Walker, we'll get you eventually, you hear me?!" He heard the man scream as he fell through the void. As with all of the times before, he felt a familiar sensation wash over him as his body was transported to the inside of the ark. However, right when he thought he was in the clear, something strange happened.

"What?!" He cried out as the gate started to crumble, with him in it. Suddenly, an unbelievable wave of pain washed over his body. Greater than any he had experienced before. "Argh! What is... this...?!" It felt as if his insides were being scrambled. Every inch of his body seemed to be disintegrating into the void, the energy easily tore through his fragile clothing and flesh. And by the time he'd realized what was happening, it was already too late. "The gate is... sending me somewhere?!" Thanks to his position as the pianist, he could tell that this gate was connected to a dimension. However, something was very different about this destination. It felt familiar. It didn't seem to be one of the ark's many rooms. In fact, it felt as if he were just being transported to some random location on Earth. But he knew that wasn't the case, something had changed, the aura of the gate had transformed into something completely foreign to him. Something terrifying... Before he finally passed-out from the pain, he could feel the gate's connection to the ark crumble. Almost as if somebody had snapped it in two. "Where... is this thing taking me?" With that question being the only thing on his mind, Allen lost consciousness and allowed his body to be swept-up by the current of time.

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_**Years later...**_

Allen smiled as he felt a gentle breeze waft into the room. Even though the boy was unconscious. He could still appreciate the fact that he was sleeping in a real bed, for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Ugh..." he mumbled, still groggy from his rest, as his eyelids fluttered open. With a satisfied look on his face, he got up and stretched his arms. Yet again, the soothing breeze from before blew into the room. "Where is that coming from?" He thought as he, still half-asleep, shuffled towards the room's only window. The window's beautiful velvet drapes were lightly fluttering in the wind, looking like something straight out of a fairy tale. "Did I manage to find a hotel last night?" He mumbled to himself as he rubbed one of his eyes. All he could remember was the ark malfunctioning, and an unbelievable amount of pain. "No..." he shook his head, that was impossible. Even if he did manage to escape to a town, he didn't have the money to afford an inn. Especially not one as nice as this. "Speaking of which..." he thought, now fully awake. "Where in the world is this place?" On instinct, he reached for the drapes and pulled them open. Bright sunlight poured into the room like a tsunami, illuminating everything in its pleasant glow. Once his eyes finally adjusted to this blinding light, Allen got back up and looked out of the window. "Holy..." to say what he saw was jarring was an understatement. In fact, for a second, he thought he was still dreaming. Sprawling out below him was a massive stone complex, with beautiful bronze and stone statues covering the courtyards below. Now, normally, this would've been more than enough to surprise him. But what drew his shock wasn't the amazing complex he was in, it was the city around it. Everywhere he looked there were gigantic buildings that seemed to scrape the sky, strange vehicles packed the streets below him, and every inch of the city was filled with pedestrians. Every one of them was wearing clothes in a style that he had never seen before, and were all using technology that would've made the science section drool. "What... wait... what's going on?" As questions came flooding into his mind, the exorcist stumbled back and fell onto his bed. Causing a few nearby plant pots to come crashing down.

"What was that?!" He heard a strange group of voices call out. "That came from Walker's room!" One of the strangers said and he heard a group of footsteps rapidly approach his room. Within seconds, the door swung open and a whole platoon of people rushed in. "I swear, if it's another janitor I'm going to loose it. You guys know you aren't allowed to come in here-" the same voice said as a young woman walked into the room. The second she saw him, however, the girl stopped dead in her tracks.

"Uh... hello?" He said as he awkwardly waved to the girl and, what looked like, her platoon of bodyguards. The guards were just as shocked as the girl was, and were just standing there with their mouths hanging open.

"You're awake..." the girl started as she slowly walked over to him, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "You're actually awake."

"Am I not supposed to be?" Allen asked her as he nervously chuckled. "Well... I guess I should probably ask the obvious question." He thought as he got up and looked at the girl. "She doesn't look like a finder, and she isn't an akuma. I guess it can't hurt to introduce myself." He thought as he pressed his left hand against his heart and bowed. "Uh... hello... my name is Allen Walker." He said as he grinned at the group and held out his hand.

"Oh, well, greetings!" The girl said as she snapped herself out of her shock. Allen winced when he felt her hand wrap around his, her grip was like steel! "I'm sorry for the way we reacted, it's just so strange..." Allen raised an eyebrow when he heard that.

"I'm sorry, is it something I said?" He asked her. He didn't know these people and it was obvious he was in a foreign land. Maybe he accidentally offended them. However, the girl just grinned and shook her head.

"No, it's not your fault. We're just amazed to be talking to the last exorcist." She said as she awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. For a second, Allen thought he had misheard her. Unless he was mistaken, she just called him the last exorcist.

"Um... I'm not really sure where you got that information, but it's wrong. There are many more exorcists besides me." Allen said as he tried his best to process the girl's words.

"What are you-?" The girl started before stopping. "Crap, I nearly forgot about your circumstances." She said as she turned around and pointed to the entrance. "I'm sure you're very confused Mr. Walker, but don't worry. After your scheduled chat with the pope, everything will become clear. Hey Johnathan, go tell His Holiness that Walker's awake." She told one of the guards as she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Now Allen really was sure that he was hearing things.

"Wait... you don't mean _the_ pope do you?" Allen started as he started to sweat. He had never met the man in person, but he had heard from idle gossip that he was quite the interesting character. "Wait a minute..." he mumbled as he looked over the room once again. "This décor, these symbols, and if the pope's here then that means..." he started as he turned to the girl. "Is this the Vatican?" When the girl nodded Allen felt his knees go weak, how in the world did he end up in the middle of the Vatican? "Oh Hell, are they going to execute me?!" He thought as his body tensed up. The order for his capture came directly from the pope's desk. So, technically, that meant he was in the middle of enemy territory. However, when the girl saw this, she laughed.

"I nearly forgot, you had a different pope back then, didn't you? Well don't worry, the new one's a great man! I'm sure you'll love him!" She said as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the doorway. Allen, who was still trying to process all of this new information, just blinked and looked out of a nearby window. At this angle, he might as well have been looking at a mirror.

"Shit..." he thought as he felt a chill go up his spine. Ever since the Fourteenth started taking over, he had seen the noah's monstrous visage standing behind him whenever he saw his reflection. Even after all of this time, he had never gotten used to it. "What?" Allen mumbled out loud as he stared at the window. "Where's the Fourteenth?" He was looking at his reflection, but the Fourteenth's shadow was gone. In fact, he couldn't feel the noah's presence at all. "He's... gone..." Allen couldn't believe it. Even if it was only for a moment, the noah which had been plaguing him for so long had disappeared.

"Is everything all right Mr. Walker? You're smiling." He heard the girl ask as she dragged him up onto his feet.

"No... it's nothing." He whispered as he shook her hand off of him. "Don't worry, I don't need you to drag me." Now it was the girl's turn to be confused.

"Wow, you sure perked up fast." She said as he shrugged. What could he say? It was nice to finally have his body to himself again. "I can't say I really know why you're so happy, but I'm not complaining." As she spoke, the girl led him through a maze of gilded corridors and staircases. He must've looked like an idiot with the way he was staring at everything. Even though this was definitely the Vatican, there were so many differences that it was practically unrecognizable. "I can only imagine what's going through your head right now. You must be so confused." The girl joked as they walked up to a large gilded entrance. "Your Holiness?" She started as she slowly opened the door. "I've brought Mr. Walker, he finally woke up." As she led Allen into the room, he felt the blood drain from his face.

"That's the pope?" He thought as he stared at the unbelievably large man standing behind room's only desk. He was an old fellow, and had a long white beard. However, he was built like a brick house and absolutely towered over him. When Allen saw that one of the man's eyes was missing, he thought he was going to faint.

"So, this is the last exorcist?" He said as he walked over to the two of them, the ground shaking with every step. "Hmm... I thought you'd be taller."

"Um... sorry to disappoint you." Allen whispered as he took a step back.

"What's wrong kid? Are you scared?" The pope asked as he leaned over and stared right into his eyes. "Hmm... you look just like the reports said you would." As he talked, the pope picked up a small envelope which was resting on a nearby table and sat down behind his desk. "So tell me, how have you been feeling since you woke up? Do you feel strange in any way? Are there any aches or pains?" Allen shook his head, he was perfectly fine. "Heh, that's good, it makes things simple. Now then..." the man mumbled as he handed Allen the envelope. "Why don't you open that?" Allen raised a confused eyebrow as he stared at the letter.

"This is for me?" He mumbled out loud. "It looks a bit... old." The envelope itself had yellowed from age, and was practically falling apart in his hands. However, when he read the name written on the front of the envelope his heart skipped a beat. "It's... it's from my master!" He yelped as he instantly tore the letter open. "But how is that possible?! I thought he died!" As Allen carefully unfolded the letter, he stopped for a second to read the opening line. "To my apprentice Allen Walker, dated June 16, 1904? Wait a minute..." Allen thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose, this entire situation was giving him a headache. "How... I mean... what..." he was so shocked that he couldn't even get the words out.

"You might want to take a seat for what I'm about to tell you, son." The pope said as he poured Allen a small cup of tea. "Because that letter is real, it really was written in 1904 at that exact date."

"I don't understand, unless I've been in a coma for years this makes no sense." In response, the man sighed and rubbed his forehead. Explaining all of this was going to be difficult.

"I guess I'll just start with the basics then, is that okay with you?" He asked Allen, who nodded. All he cared about now was finding out where he was and what was going on. Before he continued, the pope leaned across his desk and pointed down.

"Oh, the chair, I'm sorry about that." He apologized as he leaned back into his cushiony seat. When the pope saw that he was good and comfortable, he rolled his fingers across the desktop, looked out of a nearby window, and then told Allen something that shattered his entire world.

"That letter has been kept in the Vatican by the past four popes, myself included, and is dated to over a century ago. The holy war against the Millennium Earl which you and your comrades fought is over, the demons are gone, and the world has moved on. Currently, Mr. Walker, we are in the twenty-first century. And now, somehow, so are you."

"What?" Allen said sarcastically as he let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Come on, you have to be pulling my leg, there's no way that's possible." He might've been a clown but he was no fool. However, when he saw that the pope wasn't laughing, his tone instantly changed. "Wait... you're not lying." He mumbled, his voice practically an inaudible whisper, as his body started to tremble.

"Sadly, I'm not." As the pope took a sip from his tea, he reached over a pulled a blind aside. Allowing Allen to once again get an eyeful of the futuristic city outside. "Most modern cities today look like this. What you're staring at is not some highly-advanced civilization, Mr. Walker, what you're looking at is just a regular old city." The pope smiled when Allen didn't respond, his jaw was too busy scraping the floor for that.

"But... how... why... I don't understand." Allen mumbled as he tore open his Master's letter. He expected it to contain some answers to his many questions. Sadly, it just made everything more confusing. "Dear my idiot apprentice..." Allen started as he read the letter out loud. "I'm sorry that you're learning about it like this, and I'm certain that you're confused. Trust me, if it were possible, I wish I could undo what was done. However, with this letter I hope I'll be able to clear up some of your woes." Allen's voice trailed off to a whisper as he continued to read the letter. However, when he got to one specific line he stopped dead in his tracks. "A few years ago, the Black Order defeated the Millennium Earl and won the holy war. But this was not without tremendous costs. If the Vatican has done what I instructed, and you really are reading this after all of this time, it should be made obvious to you that you're now part of a dying breed. With the disappearance of the Family of Noah, innocence has started to vanish all over the globe. Recently, Lenalee and Lavi both lost theirs and are now serving as ministers in northern France. Sadly, I'm not allowed to tell you much more than that for security reasons. But do know that your friends have all gone on to lead happy and productive lives. However, I've got a feeling that your situation is a bit different. If my research is correct..." Allen's eyes widened as his lips started to quiver. "...Then it is quite possible that, in whatever time you woke up in, you are the last true exorcist remaining. The worlds final accommodator."

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**Author's Note**

**Well here we are at the end of the first chapter! As I'm sure you've no doubt noticed by now, this is only the first of the six chapters I published when this story first came out. I really wanted to give you guys something to bite into, since the -manxCG crossover page is kind of devoid of any stories over five-thousand words. Obviously, I wanted to change that. And so here we are.**

**I wanted to use this chance to give you guys an idea of how I want this story to proceed. Even if you haven't read any of my other works, I mainly have two stories besides this one that I work on. There's Beacon's Exorcist, which is my biggest story and therefore the one I spend the most time on. And the Wolven Maw, which I really only write when I have inspiration for. Since -man is my favorite anime/manga of all time, I take my stories involving it quite seriously. So expect this story to be updated at least once every month. However, during April, there will probably be no update cause I am working on a gigantic chapter for one of my other stories. If we have a list of priorities, this would probably come in second, with number one being Beacon's Exorcist because, obviously, it's my biggest story. But, if you couldn't already tell by me posting six chapters in one day, I have a plan for how I want this story to pan-out and plan on following it to a tee.**

**Now then, for the fun stuff, I was wondering if you guys would like to see some sort of pairing in this story. If not, just say no in one of the reviews. But if you do want to see a pairing, then tell me who and I'll see if I can make it happen (I'm not doing lemons though, my goal with these stories is to make a good story). So, if ya'll want to see some romance, just tell me who.**

**Anyway, that's mostly everything for this chapter. Please, if you enjoyed this story so far, maybe give it a review so that I can improve it. And if I miss something, don't be afraid to correct me. Well then, that's all for now, you all have a great day and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 2: Homecoming**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all and welcome back to A New Dawn! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Anyways, since this is part of a big 6-chapter post, I'll try to keep this short. For those of you who decided to keep reading, thank you! Please know that these early chapters, in my opinion, are the hardest to write in a true crossover. So please forgive me if I seem to be rushing the pace a little bit, you've got to understand that I want to get to the actual meat of the story as quick as possible. So, in some cases, I might end up cutting a few corners. I don't really think I did that here, but if you do feel like I did, I just wanted you guys to know why.**

**S****o, without further adieu, let's get onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.  
**

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**Chapter 2: Homecoming**

"It's quite the shock, isn't it?" The pope asked him as he returned to his seat. The man looked as if a massive weight had just been taken off of his shoulders. "Everything that's in that letter is the undisputed truth. After the Order defeated the Earl, innocence all over the world started to vanish. Even your friends, after a few years, lost the weapons that some had devoted their entire lives to using. Yet yours, Mr. Walker, remains like a persistent cancer."

"How did… how did I travel through time?!" After nearly five minutes of silence, Allen jumped up out of his seat and slammed his fists against the hardwood desk. "I missed everything! I missed Lenalee! The war! Lavi… everyone..." Clearly frustrated, he sat back down and cradled his face in his hands. "Tell me, how did I get here? What happened during the war?!"

"I can answer your first question, but the second one might be a bit... difficult." The pope said as he sipped his tea and sighed. After a few moments of rummaging through his robes, the man grinned and pulled out, what looked like, another letter from Cross. "From what few reports there are. After your disappearance Cross devoted everything he had into finding you... oh, and that reminds me, at that time you thought he was dead." Allen blinked as he pinched the bridge of his nose. With everything that had happened he had completely forgotten about Apocryphos. However, for some reason, he wasn't surprised to learn that his Master had survived. In fact, deep down, he always suspected it.

"That man is as stubborn as a cockroach." Allen mumbled as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "I'm not shocked to learn that he survived. Plus... he was a follower of the Fourteenth... I doubt he'd willingly let himself die before completing that bastard's mission, whatever it was. And speaking of which..." he started as he nervously moved about in his chair. "Why aren't you guys attacking me right now? You do know what I am right?"

"I'll get to that in a second." The pope said as he rolled his fingers across his desk. "Now where were we? Ah, yes, that's right!" He snapped his fingers. "I was just about to tell you about how you ended up here!" Allen nodded as he perked up his ears. "I'm sure you remember being chased by a group of crows right before you woke up in this strange little time of ours."

"Yeah... I tried to escape using the ark but then one of them threw a charm at me, or something like that." Allen mumbled as he rubbed his aching forehead. "It was some sort of flame attack, it burned everything, even the ark gate... wait a minute." The pope smiled when he saw Allen's eyes widen.

"Bingo! That little flame attack that crow used was a charm designed to specifically interfere with the ark's interdimensional systems." The pope said as he got up from his chair and walked to one of the office's many filing cabinets. "You have to remember, Mr. Walker, that the ark isn't some magical device. At its core, it was a scientific invention. Even today we still don't completely understand its intricacies. However, all of those years ago, there was one man who did." As he talked, the pope reached out his hand and pushed a small button that was hidden inside of the cabinet. Suddenly, one of the bookcases swung open, revealing a hidden passageway.

"I'm assuming that person was my Master?" Allen asked him as he followed the man into the hidden hallway. Normally, he would've been shocked to learn about something like this. But after all that had happened to him that day, learning about a hidden passageway or two didn't phase him. The pope nodded as he led him deeper and deeper into the Vatican's depths. Slowly, the brick floor and walls turned into clean white tiles and marble. Monitors and pieces of advanced technology were scattered all around. However, even though everything was very different, Allen had a feeling that he knew where they were. "Is this the science section?" He asked, the pope nodded.

"Yes, after the holy war ended the vast majority of laboratories like this had to be shut down. But, this one was kept running for one very specific reason." The pope exclaimed as they finally arrived at their destination. Scientists and other researchers rushed around the room carrying stacks of paper and various other materials. And in the center of this chaos, jutting out of one of the central tiles, was a gigantic white gate.

"The ark!" Allen yelped as he instantly ran over to the gate.

"Go ahead and clear a path for the boy!" The pope called out to the scientists as he hurried to join Allen. "He's the boy I've been telling you all about." Without so much as a peep, the scientists all nodded before returning their focus back to their work.

"I can't believe it... why is there an ark gate here?" Allen mumbled as he instinctively reached out to the shimmering white gate. However, just before his fingers touched the surface, he was pushed back. "What the Hell?" He thought as he raised his fingers to his forehead. "Okay, if you don't want to let me in the easy way, I'll just create a new gate!" As he had done so many times before, Allen allowed the Fourteenth's melody to flow through his mind. "Now... summon a gate for me ark!" He commanded, however, his orders went unheeded.

"I know what you're trying to do, and that won't work." He heard the pope say as he walked up next to the confused exorcist. "After you vanished, the ark lost its connection to this dimension. Now only this gate remains." As he talked, the pope raised a hand up to the gate and sighed. "I can't tell you how much I've wanted to hop in here and just look around. But that's impossible now. The Earl's ark was destroyed in the war, so, until we can finally figure out how to restore the connection, this gate is all we've got." Allen frowned as he stared longingly at the gate.

"Tell me... it was the ark that sent me here, wasn't it?" He asked the pope, who grinned and nodded. He wasn't sure what it was that tipped him off, but after standing in the gate's presence for a few seconds, he just knew that it was the reason for his current situation.

"Yes, your master, Marian Cross, had the exact same theory. His hypothesis is that after you were attacked by that crow, the ark gate was somehow damaged. Which resulted in it sending you through the dimension of time instead of the dimension of space." The pope laughed when he saw Allen's confused face. "I know, that was my reaction when I first heard it too. But trust me when I say that it's the unadulterated truth."

"Okay... I guess I understand." Allen mumbled as he scratched his forehead. "Well, I guess that explains how I got here... I think." After taking one last look back at the gate, he turned back to the pope and looked around the room. "This seems like quite the large operation for such a defect. Why are there so many people here?" Granted, he knew that the ark was an extremely valuable, and advanced, piece of technology. But even then, requiring this many researchers seemed to be a tad... excessive.

"That, my little friend, is because of this." Allen raised an eyebrow when the pope handed him a small book. It was bordered with black leather, and had numerous bookmarks and scribblings written all over it.

"And this is...?" Allen asked the man as he skimmed over the book. "There's barely anything written in here." Once he was finished with it, he handed the book back to the pope and crossed his arms.

"I'm sure you're very confused, Mr. Walker, but allow me to explain." The pope said as he slipped the book back into one of his pockets. "That little book I just handed you contains all of the information the current-day Vatican has on the holy war after your disappearance." Allen nearly choked when he heard that.

"What? Isn't this the Vatican? You guys were the ones running the whole thing! How can that be all you have?!" The idea that the Black Order, an organization that was absolutely filled to the brim with pencil-pushers and record-keepers, kept no records on their excursions was simply laughable. Plus, when he supposedly vanished, they had two bookmen in their ranks! Where in the world did those records go?!

"I can tell you're confused, and a bit angry. But trust me, that's what everyone feels like. Besides a few snippets of information from your master, we have no idea what actually transpired between your transportation and the end of the holy war."

"How in God's name is that possible?" Allen asked the man, but he just shrugged.

"I have no idea. All we do know for a fact is that the Black Order won the war, which resulted in causing the majority of the world's innocence to disappear. Honestly, nobody alive today really has any idea as to what exactly happened to all of those people. The branch chiefs, researchers, exorcists, finders, crows, anyone with knowledge of the Order just seemed to vanish into the never-ending flow of time. And that's where the ark comes in." The pope said as he placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. "I started this project a few years ago after I became pope. I'm not the sort of person who leaves things up to fate, Mr. Walker. And with this ark's help, and a little bit of luck, I hope to shed some light on the mysterious past." When Allen realized what the man was alluding to, he took a step back and turned his head back to the gate.

"You're trying to re-open the gate, aren't you?" Allen said as the man nodded.

"If it could send you here to the future, it might be possible to send you back." The pope told him as he scratched the back of his neck. "When you popped out of this gate a few days ago, I thought we'd finally done it, but obviously that wasn't the case. If we can open this barrier to the past, we might be able to learn about what happened all of those years ago." Allen walked over and leaned against one of the tiled walls as he tried to take in all of this new information.

"If what you're saying is correct, and you actually do manage to open the gate, then I could continue where I left off." The pope laughed when he saw Allen's smile. As expected of one of God's chosen, he was an optimist through-and-through.

"Yes, that's the dream. However, it may take quite a few more years to realize. As I'm sure you already know, the ark is an amazingly complicated device. Even with modern day methods we are still years behind even coming close to understanding it. So, I'm sorry, but your reunion with your friends is going to take awhile." Allen would be lying if he said that didn't upset him. He still had so much left unfinished back in his time. He couldn't just leave things the way they were!

"Never stop, keep walking." Allen didn't know why, but at that moment, he found Mana's words ringing through his head.

"I know Mana, I'll keep walking until the day I die." With a smile and his eyes burning with fresh determination, Allen got up from his spot and turned back to the pope. "It doesn't matter how long I have to wait. After all, for them, I wouldn't even be gone a day."

"Hah! That's the spirit!" The pope chuckled as he wrapped one of his arms around Allen's shoulders. It felt as if his neck had been put in a vice. "Don't worry kid, I promise I'll get you back to the fight eventually. But, for now, think of this as your long-deserved break." As Allen joined the man in an uneasy sense of comfort. He frowned and looked around the room.

"Still... even though you don't know anything about the war after my disappearance, that doesn't explain why you guys suddenly trust me. You must know about my position as the Fourteenth's host, right?" Yet again, the pope chuckled and reached out his hand.

"Didn't you hear me, boy? After the war the Millennium Earl and the Family of Noah vanished off of the face of the Earth. And, of course, that means their memories disappeared as well. You must have noticed some of the signs by now, signs that your unwanted guest has, so to say, left the building?" The pope said as he tapped the side of his skull. The second Allen realized what he was referring to he instantly started looking for the nearest piece of glass.

"So that's why..." he thought as he, once again, stared at his reflection. "He's... gone... the Fourteenth is gone." The realization came so fast that he could barely comprehend it. When the pope saw how happy that news made him, he burst out laughing.

"So you see, that's why we aren't attacking you boy. The Order feared you back in the day for your connection to the Fourteenth, but now, that's no longer a problem! And plus..." he placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. "After all that I've read about you, I think you deserve our trust for once." Once again, Allen was shocked by the news. He was finally free from the Noah's clutches.

"That means I'm back to normal." Allen mumbled as tears of joy trickled down his face. However, as seemed to be the theme of that morning, he wasn't completely right.

"Well... not exactly." The pope started as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pocket knife. "The lack of the Fourteenth's memories just means that your transformation into a noah has stopped. It doesn't change what your body has already gone through." As he said that, the man leaned over and lightly pressed the knife against Allen's right arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Allen cursed as he recoiled back, a small stream of blood pouring out of his fresh wound. However, before he could say anything more, the pope just smiled and motioned for him to pay attention. "What the...?" Allen mumbled as he watched the wound miraculously start to heal. Within mere moments, his skin had closed and the injury had vanished.

"Any enhancements your body received during the course of your transformation, for example, the noahs healing factor, will remain. At this point the Fourteenth's memories have already directly mutated your genes, and nothing can change that." Allen frowned as he stared at his left hand, what the pope was telling him was basically that he'll never be completely human again. However, Allen wouldn't let that stop him, he'd keep on walking until the day he died. Once he had properly gathered his thoughts, he turned around and, with his right hand over his heart, gave the pope a light bow.

"I'm sorry for overreacting like that. I know you're just trying to help me, but you have to understand, this is a lot of information to take in." Yet again, the pope smiled and shrugged.

"Son, trust me, I expected worse. After all, you've just woken up in an entirely different time period with no way to return home for, if everything stays on schedule, years. Any other person would be distraught and depressed if they were in your position." Allen grinned as he placed a hand on the back of his head.

"Yeah... well… optimism is part of the job, I guess." Allen said as his stomach suddenly started to rumble. "Oh, sorry about that."

"Ah! I nearly forgot that you're a parasite type! We've got to make sure that you keep that belly full! Otherwise it could attract some unnecessary attention." As the pope talked, he motioned for a nearby scientist to come near. "Are Mr. Walker's supplements ready?" He asked the man, who nodded. After a quick trip to a nearby stockroom, the scientist returned carrying a moderately-sized suitcase. After taking a moment to unlock the case, the scientist turned to Allen and showed him what it contained.

"Pills?" Allen confusedly mumbled as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"To be more accurate they're nutrition supplements." The pope said as he tossed Allen one of the bottles. Inside lay an uncountable amount of tiny green pills, each one shining like a polished egg. "We've got enough to keep you going for a few decades. Just take one at the beginning of every week, and you'll only have to eat as much as any other growing boy." That was possibly the best news he had heard all morning.

"What?!" He said as he stared intently at the tiny pills. Even though he loved to eat, being rid of the near-constant hunger that came with his innocence seemed like a dream come true. "I... don't know what to say, thank you." Allen said as he popped one of bottles open and swallowed a pill. "Gah!" He gagged. "They taste like sand." This time it was the scientists turn to giggle.

"Yes, sorry but we didn't design them with taste in mind." One of the researchers joked.

"Don't worry, Allen, I promise we'll get you some actual food after we discuss your future." The pope said as he started the march back to his office. Allen raised an eyebrow when he heard that.

"Future? I thought the general idea was that I'd continue serving the church as an exorcist." Allen said as the pope rolled his eyes.

"You have to think, my boy, there aren't any akuma left in the world to exorcise! Your job is done!" Allen's cheeks went a bit red when he heard that. He had been slaying akuma his entire life, so he just assumed he'd be exorcising them without thinking.

"If that's the case..." he started as the pope turned back towards him. "Then what will I be doing?" The face the man gave him when he asked that question was simply priceless. He looked like a father about tell his son that they were getting a pet.

"You, Mr. Walker, are doing exactly what your Master instructed us to let you do." He said as he waved the letter he was reading around in the air. "Here..." he handed the letter to him. "Why don't you give it a read yourself? It's in the very bottom paragraph." Allen nodded as he took the letter and frowned, he wouldn't lie to himself, he was positively terrified to find out what his Master had planned for him.

"As for my apprentice's treatment when he does finally show up. I'd like the Vatican to aid and guide him into a normal life, as they have done for the other exorcists. The pope agrees with me on this matter, and has set aside a sizable sum for Allen's future. Of course, how it will be utilized is entirely up to the current pope, but I trust that they'll do the right thing." Allen stopped reading as he hesitantly handed the letter back to the pope. "A... normal life... me? Is it really possible?" He didn't even consider that a possibility.

"You didn't honestly think that we'd need a child to fight our battles for us, did you? Please, give us future folk some credit. The age where the Catholic Church practically forced children into battle based on their relationship with innocence is over. Now, we are focused on recovery and more humanitarian efforts. Although..." the pope sighed frustratingly. "Those haven't been going too well on the account of a certain empire, but you let me worry about that."

"So what's going to happen to me?" Allen asked him as the two walked into a completely different room, this one was simply a wide open area, and looked like some sort of training arena.

"Well, first we're going to officially separate you from the church. It'd be a bit weird if someone found out that somebody as young as you is an established exorcist with ties to the Vatican." The pope started as he took out, what looked like, a modern phone and turned it on. "Then we'll find you a school, move you into an apartment, and we'll figure out where to go from there."

"I'm not going to be part of the church anymore?" Granted, that made sense, but the prospect of it still felt a bit weird.

"I'll give you an emergency line that connects directly to my office in the case of an emergency, but besides that, you'll have no further contact with us. When you leave we'll give you access to the account your Master setup for you, and then you'll be on your own. Cross thought that this would be the best deal for you, and honestly, I agree. You're no stranger to paperwork, and are already used to paying your own bills... oops... sorry about that." The second the word 'bills' reached his ears he froze up like a stone statue.

"So... what you're saying is that you're throwing me out to the wolves." Allen said as he shook himself out of his trance. The pope shook his head.

"Heavens no! We aren't monsters! Before I can let you go in good conscience, we'll have to teach you a few things first." With that, the man snapped his fingers, and a group of familiar masked individuals walked into the room.

"Crows?" Allen thought as he raised an eyebrow. "Why in the world are they here?"

"This world may be different to the one you're used to, but it's still populated by men. Before you leave, we're going to teach you about the technologies of this world. And, crucially, how to fight without your innocence. Once I'm sure you're ready, we'll give you the name of your new school and that'll be that." Allen sighed in relief when he heard that. For a second he thought they were going to try and ambush him again.

"So they're going to teach me how to fight without my innocence..." He thought as he squeezed his left hand. His entire life he had relied on his innocence to do most of the heavy lifting. However, for obvious reasons, it would attract unwanted attention if he just whipped it out in public. "Okay..." Allen started as his body tensed up, readying itself for battle.

"I hope you're ready, Mr. Walker, these three are the toughest crows we have right now. They'll beat the information into you without fail." With one last chuckle, the pope reached out his hand and smiled. "I'm a busy person, so we're going to have to say goodbye here. I wish you the best of luck with your life, Mr. Walker." He said as Allen smiled and gladly shook the man's hand.

"Same here, I can't thank you enough for all you've done." After a few more words of thanks, the pope nodded and left the arena, leaving Allen alone with his new mentors. "Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen." Allen said as he determinedly smashed his fists together. "Why don't we get started?" Without even saying a word, the crows nodded and immediately got to work. Over the course of the next few months, they would beat new techniques and forms of martial arts into him. Every morning Allen would wake up for physical training with the crows. At night, one of the nuns would stop by his room to teach him modern history. In that short time frame, he learned about the fall of America, the rise of the Holy Britannian Empire, and the creation of knightmares. This grueling process continued for months seemingly without end. However, thanks in part to his sheer determination, Allen managed to complete the training without fail. Soon, he was allowed to leave the Vatican for his new home. It wasn't much, but the pope was able to procure him a spot at a prestigious noble highschool in Japan, which was now simply known as Area Eleven. "School..." Allen thought from his seat on one of the city's many bullet trains. Currently, he was dressed in his school uniform. Which the pope had sent to his apartment before his arrival. "Ashford Academy, huh?" He mumbled as he read the name embroidered on his black uniform. It sounded like such a strange name for a school in Japan, to the point it seemed almost artificial. "Oh God, I hope I make a good first impression." He thought as he nervously twiddled with thumbs together. His mind still somewhat frazzled, he looked out of the train's window and frowned. Currently, he had a perfect view of the city's slums. Which he heard were filled with Japanese, or Elevens according to the Brittanians. "Those sure look familiar..." he thought as he stared at the rundown buildings. He had been forced to live in towns just like that in his youth, so he knew how hellish life was like there. However, before he could give it any further thought, the train came to a halt.

"_You're now arriving at Ashford Academy._" The intercom said. After taking a moment or two to gather himself. Allen took a deep breath, got up, and headed for the door.

"It's time for me to start a new life." He thought as he forced himself to smile. As fellow students poured through the terminal gates, he stopped and looked up towards the clouds. It was a beautiful day, and the sky was a perfect shade of blue. As he stood there, a soothing breeze blew through the train platform, causing his hair, which was now tied back into a ponytail, to dance in the wind. "My friends, wherever you are, watch over me." And with that, Allen took one last deep breath, and headed into the city.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**And with that the setup is finally finished! I can't tell you guys how long it takes to write these first few chapters in a crossover! It's so hard to come up with an excuse to get two completely different universes like this to come together in a cohesive story. I hope that I succeeded in this endeavor, but that'll be up to you. Anyway, as I said before, I'm planning on keeping these rather short. The next chapter is where the action truly begins, and I hope you guys enjoy it! So, without wasting anymore of your time, I wish you all a fantastic rest of your day. If you like this story, maybe rate or review it. Well, that's all for me, so goodbye and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 3: New Faces**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all and welcome to the third chapter of A New Dawn. Damn am I excited cause we can finally get to the actual crossover part of this crossover! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it! So why don't I stop talking and just get on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 3: New Faces**

As Lelouch walked into the main courtyard, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The past few days had been exhausting, constantly switching between his Zero persona and his everyday life was starting to take its toll. And to further add to his stress, just a few days ago he found out that Suzaku, his longtime friend and companion, was the pilot of the white knightmare that had been foiling his plans for months now. "What should I do?" He thought as students poured in around him. While he was absorbed in thought, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder.

"Up and at 'em, Lelouch!" A familiar voice said as Lelouch bit his lip. Suzaku always did have a knack for showing up at the worst times. "Are you alright? You look tired..." he asked him as Lelouch forced himself to smile.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just up late last night with Student Council business." He lied through his teeth as other familiar faces walked passed him. "Anyway, how's the military been going?" He asked Suzaku as he walked up the steps into the academy's main building. "I know you can't talk about much, but have they been working you hard?" Suzaku laughed when he heard that and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah... its been pretty busy lately. What with the Black Knights and all." Right on que, Rivalz, Milly and Shirley shot out of the entrance. Each one with a massive smile on their face.

"Well look who it is!" Rivalz called out as he wrapped one of his arms around Lelouch's shoulders. "And here I thought you were going to skip class again! Are you finally thinking about turning a new leaf, Vice Pres?" Lelouch laughed sarcastically as he shrugged Rivalz off.

"As long as I have the credits to pass I see no reason why I should have to waste my time here." As he said that, Milly laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Now don't be like that, Mr. Smartypants, we all know the reason you're here and not playing chess somewhere is because you missed the last Chemistry test!" Lelouch frowned when he heard that, Milly was right. And that's what stung the most.

"Hardy har, besides my academic performance is there any other reason why the entire Student Council came to greet me? Well... almost everyone." Nina wasn't there, she was probably working on some project, and he had already seen Kallen walk by a few minutes ago.

"My friend, you need to loosen up, otherwise girls are going to avoid you like the plague!" Rivalz joked. "But really, the reason we're doing this is for Suzaku. We all heard about the prison break a few days go. Are you doing alright?" The Lancelot's pilot just laughed and shrugged.

"It'll take a lot more than that to push me off balance!" He said as he placed a hand on his left bicep. When he saw that, Lelouch smiled, Suzaku really was the perfect symbol of hope for the Japanese. But sadly, so was Zero, and this world didn't have room for the two of them. Before he couldn't finish his thought, however, the bell rang. "Come on, Lelouch, you don't want to be late to class! That is, unless you want to fail!"

"Suzaku… you would've made an excellent knight for Nunnally, but now the prospect of that happening is becoming more and more like a dream. I wonder, is there any way I can spare you from the carnage that is to come?" Sadly, that was a question that he did not have an answer for. "Damn..." he mumbled when he felt his throwaway phone start to ring. "It must be Ohgi." He thought as he turned on his voice changer and held the receiver up to his lips. With the addition of Tohdoh to their ranks, the Black Knights had started to grow at an unbelievable rate. They were starting to run out of places to keep the new recruits! "It's just one thing after another..." Lelouch thought as he stared up at the sky. In the few minutes he was outside, dark clouds had drifted over the academy. Going at this rate, it wouldn't be long before it started raining. "Damn... I hate the rain." Bad weather like this had a nasty habit of digging up unwanted memories. With that out of the way, Lelouch sighed, straightened his coat, and headed through the entrance.

* * *

To say the classroom was packed would be a major understatement. Do to the horrid weather, most outside clubs had been canceled for the day. Which meant that every single dry spot was filled with drenched students. "Well this sure stinks." Suzaku said as he stared out of a nearby window, lightning crashing off in the distance. "The weather sure took a turn for the worse, don't you think Lelouch?" He asked him, the Britannia's forgotten prince just yawned and shook his head. To be honest, he was struggling to stay awake, and this rain was helping one bit.

"I bet Milly must have something amazing planned for this." He mumbled as he rubbed his aching head, for some reason, he was starting to get a headache. Milly always had some new prank ready for rainy days.

"Yeah, well, that's our class president for you. She just doesn't know when to stop." Suzaku said as he leaned back into his chair. "But still... I think we're safe. After all, she's currently embroiled in finals right now. So I doubt she has any time for fun, much less pranks." As he talked, Suzaku reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of ointment.

"Did Arthur scratch you again?" Lelouch asked him as he rubbed the ointment on a swollen wound on his right wrist.

"Yeah... he still doesn't like me for some reason." Lelouch chuckled when he saw his friend's downtrodden face.

"Ah, don't worry about it, he'll warm up to you eventually... probably." He said as Kallen walked over to the two of them.

"Hey, you two..." she started as Lelouch watched her eyes dart in-between him and Suzaku. Whenever they landed on the Japanese knightmare pilot, Kallen's eyes twitched a little bit. Although, that wasn't that surprising. She and Suzaku were on opposite sides of a war, after all. "Milly wants us all in the Student Council room. So come on." She told them in the softest tone she could manage. Lelouch almost winced when he heard that, her acting had gotten worse. Thank the heavens that Suzaku was the trusting type, or he might've gotten suspicious.

"Oh great, what does the school's princess want now?" Lelouch asked her, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. Kallen shrugged, how could she possibly know? "Well then, Suzaku, let's grab our umbrellas." He said as thunder shook the building. "Jeez, it's really coming down hard."

"I know, it's hard to imagine that it was all sunshine and rainbows just a few hours ago." Suzaku said as he zipped up his raincoat. "Are you going to be okay in this rain, Kallen? It's quite the nasty storm out there." Lelouch looked away and smiled when he heard that, his friend had no idea what type of woman he was really talking to.

"I'll be fine, my condition doesn't make me allergic to regular old rain." Kallen said, Lelouch thought she was about ready to punch somebody. Once they were all ready, the three of them headed through the rain towards the Student Council building. The rain was coming down in sheets and was so loud that they couldn't even hear the thunder in the distance. "You know what... I take it back... this is pretty rough." Kallen said as she trudged through another ankle-deep puddle.

"Agreed..." Suzaku mumbled, they were all having trouble. "I'm glad I brought a fresh pair of socks, mine are drenched."

"Are the boots the military providing you not up to snuff?" Lelouch asked him as he nearly collapsed when they finally arrived at the Student Council building's entrance. Suzaku shook his head.

"A soldier's job isn't to complain." Suzaku exclaimed as he took his boots off. Multiple buckets were strewn across the floor catching leaking water. With every slight gust of wind, a foreboding sound shook the building.

"Oh, there you guys are! It sure took you long enough!" They heard Rivalz say as he walked out of the Student Council room. Like them, he was completely drenched from head to toe and had a towel wrapped around his shoulders. "Here, we've got enough for everyone." He said as he handed out towels to the three of them. Once they were all nice and dry, they made their way to the Student Council room. Shirley, Milly, and Nina were all already there.

"So, what's on the agenda today Milly?" Lelouch asked her as he sat down in his chair. "I'm assuming there's a good reason why you had us trudge through all of this rain so early in the morning." Instead of answering him, Milly just waved him aside and pointed to her ear. Apparently, she was on the phone with someone.

"I understand grandpa, but why are you letting a new student transfer in now? I know... yes, Suzaku is here... yes... but this is going to be bad for him, you understand that right? I'll try my best to control the students, but some of them can be nasty. You know how nobles can get..." after a few more minutes of this, Milly sighed and finally put her phone down.

"You sure looked stressed, what happened?" Lelouch asked her with wide eyes, it wasn't often that he got to see Milly so distraught. She was usually such an upbeat person. And it seemed like the rest of the Student Council agreed with him. Everybody looked at Milly with concerned eyes, even Kallen.

"Oh no, are they cutting our budget?" Shirley asked her. Milly nervously chuckled and shook her head.

"No... they aren't cutting our budget." Milly sighed, honestly, at this point, she wished that were the case.

"Then what's got you so down, Pres? It sounds like one heck of a situation." Rivalz exclaimed as, he too, pulled up a chair. Once everyone was seated, Milly sighed and fished a folder out of her purse. After placing it in the center of the table, she opened it and pointed to the first page.

"A transfer application?" Lelouch mumbled as he turned back to Milly. "Are we getting another transfer student?" Milly nodded as she leaned back into her chair.

"Yeah... for some reason grandpa thought that this would be an excellent idea. Honestly, I have no idea what he's thinking sometimes." She said as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"What's the issue? Is this new person a bad apple or something?" Shirley asked as she flipped through the folder. "Hey... what? This thing is mostly blank, there isn't even a picture of the student!" All that was written in the folder was a mailing address, a student number, and a name. "Allen Walker, huh?" She said as she passed the folder around the table. "I thought that a picture was required for the application process, or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right, normally grandpa would've outright denied any application that didn't have a confirmed form of identification. But this, according to him, is a special case. This Mr. Walker has had his spot reserved for quite a few years now." She told them as she pressed her finger against a small symbol that sat next to the student's name.

"A reservation? That isn't that unusual, right?" Rivalz said as he read through the barren folder. Ashford Academy was supposed to be a school for nobles, after all. So the practice of reserving a spot upon a child's birth wasn't unheard of. Hell, sometimes, if a student did well enough on their exams, they could reserve a spot even if they weren't part of the nobility. But that was so rare it was practically impossible. However, there was just one small problem with this. "Wait... what?" Rivalz mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, he must've been seeing things. "He's Europian?!" The second he said that everyone besides Milly crowded around him to get a closer look.

"And therein lies the central issue for this little gathering." Milly said as she rubbed her head. "Even with his reservation, normally, my grandfather would never allow a student from Europia to come here. However, just last week, this student received numerous glowing recommendations from some of my grandfather's contacts in Rome. He simply couldn't refuse." Lelouch frowned as he rolled his fingers against the tabletop.

"Suzaku was a tough sell as it is, and he's an honorary Britannian. I can't imagine how the student body will react when they learn about this." Lelouch exclaimed, the war with Europia was one of the most-targeted subjects by Britannia's propaganda campaigns. Some of the students even had relatives fighting overseas. "I can see why you're worried... this is really a bad idea."

"It'll be a hit for morale, that's for sure. But what I'm more worried about is this new student's safety." Milly said as she nervously bit her index finger. When Suzaku first came to Ashford, he was subjected to numerous accounts of cruel bullying and ridicule. Even today, there were still small groups of students who resented his presence. She couldn't even imagine what would happen once everyone figured out that they were sharing a classroom with a Europian.

"Do you think we can, you know, send him back?" Nina whispered as she nervously fidgeted in her chair. The poor girl was obviously terrified at the prospect, however, there was nothing they could do.

"He's already been accepted into the student roster, Nina, so that's not an option." Milly said as she turned to Suzaku and Lelouch. "You two, I know it's kind of on short notice, but I need your help." Lelouch sighed when he heard that, he already knew what she was going to ask them to do. "When he gets here, I want you two to show him around. I feel like having members of the council present might help to quell some of the student body's animosity."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Lelouch thought as his lips pursed into a line. "These are the children of nobles we're talking about here, they won't show any mercy to a Europian." Honestly, the kid would be lucky if he got through his first day without receiving a beating or two. And it wasn't just him who realized this, Suzaku and Kallen both knew how brutal their classmates were to foreigners. This wouldn't be taken lightly, even with them there.

"Do you know what class he'll have first?" Kallen asked her as she stared out of a nearby window. The rain had yet to let up, in fact, it had only gotten worse.

"That's the one ray of hope in this whole mess. Thankfully, his first class has you three in it." Milly said as Lelouch heard Suzaku sigh in relief. With all three of them there, it would be much easier to protect the new student.

"I can see why you've been so worried, Milly. This seems to be quite the bad situation." Lelouch said as the hourly bell shook the building. "Well... I think that's our que. If we want to make it in time for his first class we'll have to leave now." Kallen and Suzaku both nodded their heads, what with the rain and all, the trek back to the main building was going to be quite the trial.

"Be careful you three." Lelouch heard Shirley say as they walked out of the room, he wasn't sure why, but hearing her voice again pained his heart.

"The power of the king..." he thought as he reached up and touched his left eye. "I wonder, is this ability of mine truly a blessing or a curse?" The answer to that question had eluded him for what seemed like ages, and he had a feeling the pain this power would bring him was only just beginning. "But still..." he thought as he curled his hands up into fists, strengthening his resolve. "For Nunally's sake, and my resolve, I must prevail!" Nothing could stop him now, not even God himself.

"Lelouch, are you okay?" He heard Kallen ask him as they made their way out of the conference room. "You looked stressed." Like the professional terrorist she was, Kallen didn't miss a beat.

"Oh, sorry, I'm just a little bit tired." He said as he quickly turned away. Now wasn't the time for that, now wasn't the time for Zero. At the moment, he needed to be Ashford Academy's vice president. "Come on, if we don't hurry Suzaku is going to beat us there." With that out of the way, he zipped up his coat, and walked out of the door.

* * *

Lelouch could practically feel the anger radiating off of Kallen's being as they walked through the hallways. The two had managed to catch up with Suzaku, and in that small amount of time the news of the Europian transfer student had already spread throughout the entire school. "Damn Britannians… they're always looking for another scapegoat." he heard her curse under her breath as they walked into their classroom.

"What in the world is the administration thinking?!" One of their classmates said as Lelouch, Kallen, and Suzaku took their seats. "First it was Suzaku, but he's an honorary Britannian soldier so that I understand. However, this is completely different, they actually want us to study under the same roof next to a Europian pig?! What a joke!" Lelouch felt a chill go up his spine as he heard Kallen snap a pencil in half.

"If she isn't careful then people are going to see right-through her sick girl façade." He thought as he scratched his chin. "Europia… even with all of my calculations I still cannot see a realistic situation which involves Ashford gaining another transfer student." Britannia was at war, after all, even with exceptional grades he still found it hard to believe that Britannia actually let a Europian inside of its borders. "This kid must know some people in high places..." that was the only possible explanation. "Maybe I could have him tell me who got him in, that could be interesting." People with the power to get a Europian into Ashford must have quite the hefty wallets. Wallets that the Black Knights could use. "No... with how this situation unfolded, they probably recommended the boy via private channels." If Milly's information was accurate, this new student wasn't even a noble. And if that was the case...

"Alright class, settle down." Lelouch stopped thinking when the professor walked into the room. She was a relatively young woman in her late twenties and was responsible for teaching the modern history classes. "As I'm sure you all already know, Ashford Academy has received a transfer student from Europia. He'll be here any minute now, some please give him the proper respect. After introductions are over I'll start the lecture."

"So we're going to be the first to see this infamous transfer student. I can't tell if I'm more curious or pissed off." One of the girls said as her eyebrows narrowed. "I swear, this school has gone to the dogs recently. Soon they'll be letting anyone in." As she spoke, one of the girl's friends sighed and swiveled around in her chair.

"Do you think he supports the Black Knights? I heard that the majority of Europians openly cheer for those terrorists. What do you think Kallen?" The girl asked her as she waved her hand around in the air.

"Oh, the transfer student? I don't know really." Kallen said as she balled one of her hands up into a fist underneath her desk. "I'm going to wait until after I see him before I make any judgements." Right after she said that, the room fell silent. Everyone was waiting for the same thing: the sound of the new student's footsteps clinking against the tiled floor. In a few moments, they got just that. It was an ominous mix of that, the rain, thunder, and heavy breathing as they all waited to see the face of their country's enemy. And then, the door creaked open, and the transfer student walked in.

"Sorry if I'm late." The boy apologized to the professor as he wiped his face off with a towel. "I didn't expect the weather to get this bad. Anyways..." he started as he slipped the towel into one of his pockets and turned to face the class. "I'm Allen Walker, it's a pleasure to meet you all." As he talked, he placed his right hand over his heart, and gave them all a pleasant little bow.

"Wow... I can't really say I expected this." Lelouch heard the girl next to him mumble as they all looked over the new student. He had silver eyes, hair that was as white as snow, and a strange scar running down the left side of his face. There was something about the boy that just drew the eye, almost as if they were staring at a dove.

"Well, Mr. Walker, why don't you tell the class a little bit about yourself? After that, you can go take that open seat near the back of the room." The professor said as she prepared the projector for the day's lecture.

"Oh, umm, sure." The boy said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "So I'm from the northern coast of Europia, but after a few years of studying I managed to find an apartment here and transferred to this school. Before I came here, I did a lot of work for the Catholic church and volunteered in some of their orphanages." Lelouch frowned as he listened to the boy speak. It sounded like he was reading off of a script.

"Is he a spy? No... he's probably just awkward." Lelouch thought as the boy walked over and took his seat. As luck would have it, the only spot that was open was next to Kallen. Nobody would try anything with her there.

"Oh, hello, my name is Allen Walker. I guess we'll be sitting next to each other." The boy said as he held his hand out for Kallen to shake. The girl took it with a smile, which didn't sit too well with the other men in their classroom.

"Great, she made it worse." Lelouch thought as several of the other students started to glare daggers at the boy.

"Tell me, Allen Walker, what do you do for fun?" Kallen asked him, in an obvious attempt to rile the other male students. Sadly, her little ploy worked. Which probably bought them a whole extra week of work. As the two continued their little conversation, the professor turned on the projector and started the lecture.

"Damn..." Lelouch thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Thanks to Kallen prodding the nobles, this whole thing suddenly got ten times harder. And he wasn't the only one who realized this.

"Lelouch, do you think we should stop her?" Suzaku asked him as he subtly pointed towards Kallen. "Going at this rate, she's just going to piss off the men more than they already are." He sighed, it was already too late for that.

"Let's pull her and Walker aside after class is over. If we're quick, we might be able to get him to the Student Council building before this all goes south." If they waited any longer than that, then there was a good chance that Walker wouldn't be leaving his first day of school one-hundred percent healthy. "Working with the nobility here is a whole new war in and of itself." He thought as he closed his eyes, readying himself for a nap. God knows he'd need it.

* * *

Allen smiled as he walked down the hallway. Immediately after class was over he got up and headed for the exit. If he waited for everyone else, there was a good chance that he'd have been stopped by some angry student. During his time at the Vatican, he had learned about Europia's relationship with Britannia. Sadly, since Rome was a Europian city, they had no way to procure him a Britannian passport. Which meant he had to serve his time as a Europian in the middle of a Britannian territory. "Who'd have thought that school would be this exhausting?" With a sigh, he wiped some stray rainwater off of a nearby bench and nearly collapsed into it. Since he got here, everything had been a new experience, and none of them were good. "Well... everyone else definitely hates me, but that isn't so bad." At the very least, they weren't hoping for his execution like some people in the Black Order were. As he sat there, the rain now lightly drizzling onto his face, he looked up and watched as a helicopter flew overhead. "Hmm... it really is amazing how much this world changed in such a short amount of time." In just over a century, humanity had managed to claw its way up to the clouds and now controlled unparalleled weapons of war. "If the Earl was still alive he'd be having a field day." It seemed as if, no matter which way he turned, some section of this sorry world was embroiled in war. And Britannia was the cause of it all. Hell, even here in their own territory they were fighting major battles. "The Black Knights..." when he first heard about the mysterious revolutionaries lead by the masked man Zero, he thought he was going mad. "Is there no place on this planet where peace is an option?" He thought as he stared at his left hand. "I wonder... why haven't you disappeared? Is there still something you want me to do?" What was the point in having innocence if there were no demons to exorcise? Hell, since the war was over, what was even the point in him living? "Damn... I need to stop acting so worried or I'll end up looking like Kanda." He thought as he lightly patted his cheeks, trying to keep his spirits up.

"Hey look, it's that Europian." He heard a group of students say as they hurried passed him. He could almost feel their disgusted gazes digging into his skin. However, it wasn't all bad, in this sea of animosity there was a few good people.

"Those three, I don't know why, but I get the feeling that they're different than everyone else." Allen thought with a smile as he stared up at the sky. The dark clouds had gotten thin enough to allow a little bit more sunshine to get through. Illuminating the dark courtyard in a somber grey light. "Oops, I nearly drenched my gloves." He thought as he moved his hand away from a nearby pool of water. He didn't notice it, but, at that moment, there was a strange shimmering in his reflection. And for a few seconds, in that puddle, it looked as if his mouth had twisted itself into a horrific grin.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey guys thanks for reading another chapter of my story! I hope you've been enjoying it so far, cause I've certainly enjoyed writing it! But man, getting to this point really sucked. It's always the beginning of these, as I like to call them, "meet up" chapters that are the hardest to write. Cause it's in chapters like these where the characters from one universe collide with characters from another, and that's really hard for me to write (and do it well). Well, that's all for me here. I hope you guys have a good day and I'll see you all in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 4: Friends**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't have much here to say so I'm going to keep this short. Basically, I'm still debating on if I want a pairing in this crossover. Now, there are girls I won't pair and those are C.C. and Shirley (with Allen, I mean). However, other pairings I might be up for. If you guys have one, just PM me or tell me in a review and I'll think about it! Anyways, that's all for me right now, so let's get on with the story!**

**P.S. Also, I haven't seen the new movie yet so please don't spoil! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Friends**

"Great... where in the world did he run off to?" Suzaku said as he confusedly scratched his temple. After class was over, the new student just got up and left. Although, he couldn't really blame the guy.

"Besides Kallen and us, nobody here even smiled at him. It makes sense that he'd want to get out of this foreboding atmosphere." Lelouch sighed as he looked out of one of the classroom windows, the rain had finally started to slow, and several rays of sunlight had managed to break-through the dense cluster of clouds.

"Kallen, why did you talk to that guy? You do know he's Europian, right?" One of the girls asked as they all started to pack up their things.

"I don't know, I mean, he seemed like a nice enough guy." She told them as Lelouch saw her fingers start to twitch. She was probably at the end of her rope.

"Hey, Suzaku, why don't we go ahead and step in." He said as he lightly elbowed his friend. "Right now we need to focus on finding that transfer student, we can't afford to let Kallen get caught up in the daily gossip." This would both save time and provide Kallen with an escape. Suzaku nodded, that was definitely the best course of action.

"I agree, but I don't think we'll need to look for long." He said as he pointed out of the nearest window. There, sitting on a bench just outside, was the transfer student seemingly without a care in the world. "Maybe he just needed a breath of fresh air. After the hostility he must've faced since he first arrived, that would make sense." During his first few days at Ashford, he knew that there were times when he just wanted to sit back and watch the clouds roll by.

"That saves us the trouble of finding him." Lelouch said as he pulled Kallen aside. "Kallen, come on, we have to go." He said as he hurried out of the door. After saying goodbye to the girls, Kallen nodded and followed after him and Suzaku.

"So tell me, amongst the girls, what is the general consensus about Walker?" Suzaku asked her in an attempt to spark some idle banter. Kallen shrugged, there wasn't much she could say that they didn't already know.

"Most of them hate his guts, but there's a few who are willing to give him a chance." Not everyone in Ashford was a racist pig, after all. "I think they're all just scared of him." For once, Lelouch could understand that sentiment. The war between Europia and Britannia had been long and bloody, and even though Britannia was obviously the more powerful country, neither side was close to breaking.

"I heard that one of your friends siblings got killed in battle, is that true?" Suzaku asked Kallen as they walked out of the entrance. Kallen sighed and nodded. No matter where they turned war had touched all of their lives. That never ending hell of bullets and ash showed no signs of stopping, especially not when Britannia was at the helm.

"Yeah, she got the letter just a few days ago." Kallen mumbled as shadows covered her eyes. "But, in this world of ours, death is something we just have to live with. Isn't it?" Suzaku stopped and stared at her with wide eyes when he heard that. The persona Kallen had built up over the years rarely said anything as somber as that. "Oh, I'm sorry, forget I said that." Kallen immediately apologized once she realized what she was saying. Thankfully, Suzaku wasn't the judgmental type. And so the three of them continued their march in silence. The only sound they could hear being the pattering of the rain against the pavement. Eventually, after a minute or so of walking, they finally arrived at the bench the transfer student was sitting at.

"This country sure is a strange one." They heard him mumble as he got up and dusted off his pants. "If Reever was alive to see the technology these people have built... he'd go crazy." Lelouch frowned when he heard that. There was something in the boy's tone that was... unnatural... to say the least. However, before he could dig any deeper into the subject, the boy turned around and smiled.

"I'm sorry, did you three want to sit here?" He asked them as he moved away from the bench. Suzaku laughed and shook his head.

"No, no, in fact, we actually came here to talk to you." Suzaku told the boy as he walked up and shook his hand. "We didn't have enough time for a proper introduction. I'm Suzaku Kururugi, a member of the Student Council." As he talked, he motioned for Kallen and Lelouch to come closer. "You've already met Kallen, she's also a member of the council. And this..." he started as he placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "This is Lelouch Lamperouge, he's the vice president of the Student Council. We all wanted to show you around since it's your first day and all."

"There's no need for you guys to do all of that, trust me, I'm fine." The student said as he turned around and looked at the city. The dark clouds which hung overhead casted a foreboding shadow over the landscape, making the distant cityscape shimmer in the distance. "Honestly, if you all are part of the Student Council, then I'm sure you have better things to do than look after little old me." Lelouch sighed as he listened to the boy and walked over to Suzaku.

"He sounds like your sort of guy, Suzaku." As he talked, he flipped out his phone and dialed Milly's phone number. "Allen, listen, we're just trying to help. Plus, your fate was decided by the Student Council president. And when that happens it's better for you to just sit down and take it." As his phone rang ominously into the cloudy sky, Lelouch turned back to Allen and smiled. "A few of the students here might not appreciate your presence, but I promise you that we on the Student Council have your back." Helping new faces was part of the job, after all. After a few seconds of ringing, Milly finally picked up the phone. "Hey Milly..." Lelouch started as he stared at Allen's confused face. "I know this is kind of on short notice, but after classes are over can you and the rest of the council come and meet us at the school's front entrance?"

"I know that face, what are you planning Lelouch?" Suzaku asked him as Lelouch smiled.

"You'll see," he said as he turned to the front entrance and cracked his fingers. "If this works out I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone." It was hard to make confidential calls in the middle of campus, after all. Plus, this way, he'd also be able to fulfill Milly's request. "Mr. Walker, I'm assuming that you don't have anything to do after school?" He asked the boy, who shook his head. "Good, then in a few hours meet us by that statue over there. If you'll allow us, we wouldn't mind showing you around town."

"Are you sure about that?" The boy mumbled as his eyes darted to one of the nearby windows, where some not-so-happy students were glaring at him through the blinds. "If you aren't careful you might end up making the very student body you serve resent you." Allen was used to the nastiness of his fellow man, but he wasn't so sure if these students were. However, after seeing their confident smiles, he stopped and sighed. For a second, his mind flashed back to the day when he first arrived at the Black Order. Where everyone, except Kanda of course, greeted him with a smile.

"Don't worry Allen, just give us an hour or two and we'll make this place feel like home!" Suzaku said as he raised a fist triumphantly into the air. Just then, as if God himself was listening, the rain started to pick up again. "Great, I think I jinxed it." Lelouch smiled as he felt the rain roll down his face. Unlike the near-monsoon that was pounding the city just hours before, this was more like a pleasant spring storm.

"It'll be a bet wet when we go out, but I'm certain that it will be fine." He told them as, yet again, his disposable phone started to ring. "Sorry, I've got to take this. Can you show him around campus Suzaku?" He said as he started to make his way back into the main building. He didn't even wait for Suzaku's response before he closed the door behind him and flipped open the phone. However, when he saw who it actually was, he sighed. "C.C. you know I told you not to call me on this line." He didn't know how, but the blonde witch had somehow gotten ahold of his confidential list of phone numbers. And, whenever she got the chance, used them to order pizza. "That woman, I swear." He grumbled as he headed up a staircase. As he passed by window after window, he stopped and took the chance to get one last good look at the new student. "That scar..." he thought as his eyebrows furrowed. When he first saw the boy's pentacle-embroidered scar in class, he thought he was some sort of rebellious delinquent. However, after talking with the boy for just a few minutes, he knew that wasn't the case. Plus, after getting a closer look, he noticed that the scar was indeed natural. The way the color embellished itself underneath Walker's skin was not something one could achieve by just getting a tattoo. "How in the world did his face get like that?" He thought as he shook his head. He was getting distracted by unnecessary things. In an instant, he took out another disposable phone and dialed Ohgi's number. There was some questions about the Black Knight's budget that he had to get out of the way. "Allen Walker..." he thought as he listened to the phone ring. "You certainly chose a bad time to come to Ashford Academy. This country is about to be embroiled in a battle for its freedom, and you've arrived at ground zero."

* * *

**Four hours later...**

"So this is what school is like..." Allen thought as he carefully placed his books and materials into his bag. After trudging through what seemed like an eternity of classes, he finally managed to make it through his first day. As he walked through the hallways, quite a few students turned and glared at him. However, thanks in part to the Student Council's efforts, nobody made an attempt to mess with him. There were also other upsides that he noticed throughout the course of his day. While there was at least one or two people in every class that hated his guts, there were also quite a few people who were actually nice and tried to approach him. Many of these people had questions about his life as a Europian, and thanks to his lessons during his stay at the Vatican, he was able to answer them all without fail. "Even with all of the hate I've been getting, I have to admit that this place is pretty amazing." He could definitely see why the pope wanted him to come here. The sheer amount of clubs and extracurricular activities was simply mind-boggling, and the relatively carefree pace the school crafted for itself was refreshing. And even though he wasn't participating in the vast majority of conversations he overheard, it was uplifting to see so many people with smiles on their face. During his stay at the Black Order, the fear of the Earl and constant threat of death seemed to crush most friendly interactions like this. Right before he left the Order, headquarters was as quiet as a morgue. Where the only conversations one could hear were either focused on research or new assignments.

"Oh, there he is, Allen! Over here!" He heard Suzaku call out to him from the other end of campus. Thankfully, by that point, the rain had completely stopped. Allen smiled as he walked over to the boy, his boots splashing water all over the place as he trudged through some of the many ankle-deep puddles. As expected, Suzaku wasn't alone. Lelouch and Kallen were also there, however, there were also some people that he had yet to meet.

"You must be the man of the hour." One of them, a blonde girl, said as she shook his hand. "My name's Milly, I'm the Student Council president and the leader of this little motley crew." She said as she pointed towards the other new faces. "The one with the blue hair is Rivalz Cardemonde, he's our secretary. Then there's Shirley Fenette and the last one is Nina Einstein. They're also members of the Student Council, and will be your two tour guides for today."

"Thank you all for doing this, really, it means a lot." Allen said as he gave them all another one of his signature bows. Milly smiled when she saw that and returned the gesture.

"If you keep up a positive attitude like that then the student body will accept you in no time!" She said as she turned around and dramatically pointed towards the city. "Okay everyone! Captain Milly's grand tour has now officially begun! Everyone keep your hands and feet inside of the car at all times and mind the gap. Now... onwards!" Allen smiled as he watched Ashford's president proudly march through the front gates. In more ways than one she reminded him of a certain redheaded bookman.

"Tell me, Mr. Europian, what do you think of our glorious Britannia?" Rivalz asked him in an overly-dramatic tone as they walked down the main road.

"It's honestly quite amazing. Your technology is far more advanced than anything I used back in my hometown." Allen told the boy as he watched a large knightmare transport start to move off in the distance.

"Ah, come now, Europia can't be that bad. I mean, they don't have our knightmares, but other than that our everyday items should be fairly similar." Rivalz told him as he whipped-out his phone. "With the way you're talking I might seriously start thinking that Europia is still in the stone age." Allen chuckled at the boy's joke as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, that would be a bit weird, wouldn't it?" No matter how hard he tried, no amount of lessons could change the fact that he was living in an entirely new world. There were bound to be topics that he didn't know much about, this world's technology was one of those topics. "Anyway... what do you all do for fun around here?" He asked Rivalz, desperate to change the conversation to a different topic. Luckily, the boy took the bait.

"Eh... to be honest, when it comes to entertainment Britannians like us are pretty normal. We go to movies, hang out, watch television." As he spoke Rivalz eyes lit-up and he snapped his fingers. "Right! That reminds me!" He started as he rummaged through his bag. Eventually, he pulled out small paper map. "Since you're new here, me and a few of the guys thought that this might come in handy. It's got all of the popular hangout spots and stuff written on it. And, if you're so inclined, recommended places to take dates." Allen smiled as he carefully folded-up the map and placed it in his right breast pocket.

"Thanks, I'm sure it'll be useful." Getting lost was kind of a specialty of his, so having a physical map was a godsend. After a few more minutes of walking their group arrived at an unbelievably large mansion. "I wonder who lives there?" Allen thought as he looked over the mansion's beautiful garden and lawn. As if Milly could read his mind, the girl walked over and tapped Kallen's shoulder.

"Kallen, isn't this your house? Do you want to get anything before we leave?" She asked the girl as Allen's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"That's her house?!" He thought as his jaw scraped the floor. He knew that he was attending a prestigious school for nobles, but this was something else. "Heh, I guess I still have a little bit of the street left on me." He mumbled as his lips curled into a sad grin. It was times like these that reminded him of his days with Mana. When they were wandering the streets, even the everyday inns seemed like castles. However, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. It was faint, but off in the distance he could smell the unmistakable scent of the gutter. "No matter where you go there are always slums." The Japanese, or Elevens as they were now called, had been mostly delegated to the underbelly of this society. Just that morning, when he was on the train, he got a good look at the Japanese new homes. Many were constructed from shoddy wood and rusty nails. While several others squatted in rundown buildings, still riddled with bullet holes from the war that once ravaged the country.

"_In other news, Zero and his Black Knights have continued their assault on Area Eleven's foreign trade. This morning, at seven o'clock, the Luistannia, a munitions cargo ship, was attacked near the western coast of the Tokyo Settlement. Several casualties were reported, including both Britannians and Elevens." _Allen frowned as they passed by an unbelievably large television screen which was currently showing the state-run news.

"Even after so many years, humanity hasn't changed." He thought as his left hand curled up into a fist. "The akuma are gone, but what does that matter if people are still killing each other?" During his stay at the Vatican, he had pondered this question many times. However, nobody, not even the pope, had an adequate answer for him.

"As long as men walk this planet, and not angels, war will continue to rage on." He remembered the pope telling him during one of their final meetings. "That left hand of yours was meant to save humanity from an unbelievable evil, not to save it from itself. You'll soon learn, Allen Walker, that in this world it is impossible to save everyone. That's why you must try to be a light in the darkness, no matter how small."

"A light... in the darkness..." he mumbled as he stared at his left hand. Just a few months ago, he was using it to help people and save akuma. However, now it seemed to be little more than a reminder of his past, like a long-sheathed sword.

"Now that I think about it, we should be coming up on the main square soon." He heard Milly say as she lead their group through a winding-maze of various back alleys and shortcuts. It didn't take long before they arrived at a gigantic central plaza. Shops and sculptures of all shapes and sizes lined the sidewalks. And, wafting faintly in the breeze, was the delectable smell of fresh bread and candy. "This place is kind of like the main hub of the Tokyo Settlement. When we're not in school, most of us students like to spend our time here."

"I can see why, this place is quite relaxing." Allen said as he watched a flock of birds fly overhead.

"Oh, if you think this is relaxing, then I can't wait to show you the southern part of town. Kallen, why don't you take the lead on that one-" Milly started, however, she stopped when she felt something dash past her legs.

"Milly, are you alright?" Rivalz asked her as he helped the Student Council president up off of the ground. However, before she got a chance to even utter a word, a group of men rushed past them.

"There she is! Grab that little thief!" They heard a large man, probably the leader of the pack, say as the sound of fist-against-flesh filled the air.

"What in the world?" A nearby spectator gasped as the entire plaza turned to witness what had just happened. Lying on the ground, limp as a doll, was a small girl who was probably no more than seven years old. Her hair was as black as the night, and her entire body was covered in bruises.

"You Eleven's should know your place by now." One of the men said as he straightened his jacket and placed his bootheel against the girl's cheek. "Stealing isn't a crime we Britannians take lightly, and we'll be sure to make you pay for it!" As he yelled, he raised up his leg and sent it straight into the girl's stomach. Her gags and muffled screams of pain completely shattered the previously peaceful atmosphere. And by the time they all finally realized what was happening, the group of men had completely surrounded the small child.

"What's going on?" Another spectator said as the crowd continued to grow. Soon, it seemed as if the entire plaza had been swept-up in this disturbing event.

"This little Eleven rat stole something from my buddy here." The ringleader said as he turned to address the crowd. "We're just giving this girl her proper punishment." He said as he kicked the girl again. With every impact Allen felt his body tense up. And he wasn't the only one, Lelouch and the rest of their little band were all disturbed by what they were seeing.

"Lelouch, do me a favor and wait here." Allen heard Suzaku say as the boy started to walk towards the group of men, his grip as hard as iron. He wasn't alone, Kallen also seemed to be preparing to jump in to save the child. For a few moments, Allen completely forgot that the girl he was staring at was also the same sickly noble he had met that morning. Like a hardened soldier, her eyes blazed with a fire that could burn anything to ash. However, before either one of them could make their move, Lelouch stepped in and stopped them.

"You two are going to get yourselves a world of hurt if you do that. Before you act, think, and take a look around." The boy said as he held the two in-pace. "Besides us, nobody here seems to be disturbed by this situation. If you save that girl now, it'll only bring trouble to the two of you. Kallen, you're in no shape for a fight. And Suzaku, your position in the military is a flimsy one at best. You can't afford to let some nobodies like them get to you. Unless you want to lose your post and start back at square one." His words hit the two students like a freight train, but they were the truth. Besides their little group, none of the spectators were even trying to stop this savage beating. Hell, a few of them were even cheering the men on! Nina, Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz weren't going to be any help either. All of them were simply too shocked to be able to do anything. And even if they did have the willpower, none of them had the strength to rescue the girl without injuring themselves. Lelouch bit his thumb as the men continued their assault. In the past, he had resolved matters like these using his geass. However, when he considered how public this area was, he decided against it.

"Then what do we do Lelouch?!" Suzaku said as he turned to his friend and yelled. "The reason I'm in the military is to stop things like this from happening. What's the point of my rank if I can't even do that?!" As the two friends argued, Allen looked down at his left hand and frowned.

"You must be a light in the darkness... no matter how small." Yet again, he found the pope's words ringing through his head. "In the past, you might've had to frequently rely on force to protect others. However, those methods won't work today. You have to remember that, in the modern world, violence only leads to more violence."

"Dammit..." Allen thought as he shook his head and walked towards the group of men. In this world stained by war, he'd strive to be a light for the weak and lost. "Crap, this is probably going to hurt."

"Hey! Allen! Where are you going?!" He heard Rivalz say as he walked out of the crowd. Without saying a word, Allen cleared the gap between him and the men. By this point, Lelouch and the rest of the group had noticed what he was doing. However, they were in no position to stop him.

"Excuse me gentlemen." He said in the kindest, most upbeat, tone he could manage. With the skill and grace of a talented magician, he slithered through the group of Britannians and picked up the girl. "Sorry for the wait, little one, it was quite the bumpy road to get here."

"W-what? W-who are...?" The girl started, clearly shocked by what had just happened.

"Shhh…" Allen said as he carefully pushed some stray strands of black hair out of the girl's eyes. "It's okay, you're safe now." With that, Allen lifted the child up and enveloped her injured body in a warm embrace. "You just let me deal with them." Once he was certain that the girl was in a comfortable position, he turned back to the group of men and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hah! Looks like the little noble has a thing for rats!" One of the men said as he walked up to him and reached out his hand. "Listen, schoolboy, why don't you put the girl down and walk away? Neither of us want you to do something you might regret."

"Sorry, but she's staying where she is. I don't fancy watching children getting beaten in the streets." Allen told the man as he took a step back and stared at the spectators. "To simply sit back and watch as something like this unfurls right before your eyes, you all make me sick." He said as he took a step back and placed an arm over the girl's head.

"Wow, for a student you sure have some fangs! I certainly hope you know that little rat you're protecting is a thief!" One of the men said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cheap-looking necklace. "I was just about to give this to my girlfriend when that little rascal ran in and stole it! Me and my friends had to chase her all over town to get it back! Don't you think she deserves what she's getting? I mean, she is, after all, an Eleven." The second that term escaped his lips the man's mouth contorted into a sadistic smile. "Well then, from Britannian to Britannian, why don't you just put her down?" Allen grinned as he shook his head.

"Sorry, but that doesn't really apply to me since I'm from Europia." He said as he stared at the man dead in the eyes. When the Britannians heard that they smiled like children at a candy store.

"Ah, well, if that's the case..." the ringleader said as he slowly walked up to him. "Then I'm sure you won't mind if we just take her from you!" Allen grimaced as he felt the man's fist dig deep into his gut. As if someone had fired-off a starting signal, the entire group of Britannians descended upon him to tear the girl out of his grasp. "What's the matter schoolboy?! Tired yet?!" The ringleader yelled as he smashed his heel into Allen's right knee.

"Heads up Europian!" Another one of the men called out as he immediately followed-up the ringleader's kick with a punch to the face. The group piled on blow after blow, and injury after injury, in their attempt to claw their way to the girl. However, no matter how hard they tried, not one of their attacks broke through his defenses.

"Allen! Wait! I'm coming!" He heard Suzaku yell as the boy leaped into the fray, but before he even had the chance to fight, Allen shook his head.

"No... violence only leads to more violence." If there was one thing his battles with the Earl taught him, that was it. People shouldn't be trying to hurt each other, and if that fact went unnoticed then they'd be no better than demons. In this new world, that would be his path. Since his duty as an exorcist was over, his responsibility now was to serve as a beacon to those trapped in the darkness. "To love thy neighbor was one of the lessons you taught me... Mana..."

"What? Are you just a glutton for punishment kid?" Another man in the group said as he crashed his fist into the side of Allen's jaw. "Europians like you need to learn your place, just like that rodent you're holding!" As he raised up his fist for another assault, Allen closed his eyes and tried his best to shield the girl. However, the blow never came. As Allen's eyes fluttered open, he looked up and saw that one of the onlookers had restrained the man. He had black hair, blue eyes, and was obviously Japanese.

"There really is no end to Britannia's cruelty. The discrimination wasn't enough? Now you want to beat up our kids? Don't make me laugh." As the man spoke, he turned to Suzaku and nodded. He appeared to know who he was.

"Now that I think about it, Suzaku must be quite the celebrity amongst the Japanese." Allen thought as more and more people walked out of the crowd, all of them Japanese. Even though none of them really did anything, the looks they gave the group of men said it all. Well... that and the phones they were holding, which they used to record every second of the assault.

"There it is! My opening!" Lelouch thought as he hurried to the front of the crowd. "Your fellow Britannians may forgive your crimes, but you have to wonder what will happen if news of this incident spreads online. You'll all become celebrities within the hour, and who knows what will happen to you then?" His words were short, but they burned like a heated dagger. As his purple eyes met the group's ringleader, the man gritted his teeth and frowned. "This plaza is fairly close to the slums, so don't act all surprised." The smug look Lelouch gave the man infuriated him like nothing else, but he was right. "These men came here for a fox hunt, and have now walked straight into a den of lions." He thought as the ringleader took a step back.

"Tch…" the man mumbled as he bit his tongue. "Dammit! Let's get out of here guys, these rats aren't worth it." As quickly as they had arrived the group vanished into a nearby back alley. The second they were out of earshot, Suzaku and Kallen sighed in relief. It was finally over. At that moment, the only thing Allen could hear was the distant sound of birds chirping. Time seemed to slow down for him as he looked up towards the sky and smiled. The storm which had previously ravaged the city had completely dissipated now, leaving behind a beautiful crystal sky.

"My friends, wherever you are, I hope you can see me now." Allen thought as he saw a single dove fly through the skies above. "I have finally found my path."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Well there we go! This chapter was a doozy to write, so I hope you guys enjoyed it! This one was definitely a trial to get out as I didn't really know how to word some of the scenes, but I think it turned out well in the end. If one of you guys disagree with me, go ahead and tell me in a review or something! Besides that, I have nothing else to say. So please, have a good rest of your day, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 5:**** Family**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello all and welcome to the next chapter of A New Dawn! This one is kind of slow at first, so I hope you'll forgive me for that. But I think you guys will enjoy it just the same. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you guys will enjoy reading it! Anyways, I don't have much to say here, so I'm just going to cut straight to the good stuff! So sit back, grab a drink or something, and please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Family**

It was hard to believe that, just a few minutes ago, the very plaza they were standing in had been the stage for a brutal brawl. After the group of Britannians left, the majority of the onlookers went on with their daily lives. Most of them acted as if they had seen nothing at all. In fact, quite a few acted annoyed. Almost as if their entertainment had been cut short. The group of Japanese who had come to Allen's aid were nowhere to be seen either. After a short chat with Suzaku, the boy found at that many of them were actually employed at the plaza. The first man who stepped up was a waiter at one of the restaurants. He was actually on break when he overheard the commotion, and when he found out what was happening, rushed to inform his friends. "People who can just act like that are pretty amazing." Allen thought as he limped over to a nearby wall. The girl the men were beating was still lying comfortably in his arms, and had been silent ever since he first picked her up. "Well then, Miss, I hope you weren't hurt too badly." He told the girl as he gently sat her down next to him. With every slight movement, his joints and muscles screamed and ached. "Ugh... it's times like this that I really wished I could rely on my healing factor." He thought as he rubbed a large tender bump on his forehead. To avoid suspicion, while at the Vatican, he had taught himself how to control the advanced healing the Fourteenth's memories gave him. To put it in simple terms, he forced his body to keep his wounds open, ensuring that they would heal at a normal rate. "If I'm in this much pain, I can only imagine what that girl is going through." The child he had shielded was also covered head-to-toe in bruises and injuries. However, she didn't say a thing. Instead, she just kept her mouth shut, and stared at the floor. "She's probably in shock..." Allen thought as he watched tears stream quietly down the girl's face.

"Why... did you save me?" After sitting in silence for nearly two minutes, the girl finally opened her mouth. Allen smiled when he saw that and shrugged.

"Because it was the right thing to do." He told her as he looked over the girl's horrid form. Now that he actually had a chance to look, he realized that the girl was unbelievably thin. Her arms were weak and spindly like toothpicks, and her eyes had sunken into her skull. "Let me guess, you were planning on selling that necklace to get something to eat?" He asked the girl. She didn't respond, but he knew that was the truth. After all, when he was working in the circus, he had to do similar things on numerous occasions to keep himself alive. "Tell me, Miss, what is your name?" He didn't want to spend the rest of their conversation without knowing how to address her. "Here, to make it easier for you, I'll tell you mine. My name is Allen Walker, and as you probably overheard, I'm from Europia." After he properly introduced himself, Allen turned to the girl once again and smiled. He had to let her know that she was safe, otherwise, she wouldn't tell him the truth. Eventually, his little strategy worked, and the girl spoke up.

"I-Ikuko… my name is Ikuko." She whispered in an nearly inaudible tone.

"Ikuko, huh? That's a nice name. Is it your first or last?" He couldn't do much with only her first name, after all. If he wanted to contact her parents he'd need her last name. However, when he asked that question, Ikuko fidgeted awkwardly around in her spot. She looked confused, almost as if he had asked her a question that she didn't have an answer for. And it didn't take him long to figure out why.

"I... don't have a last name. I'm Ikuko, and that's that." Yet again, the girl brought her tone down to a whisper. This was obviously not information she'd tell some random stranger. In fact, by telling him that she didn't have a last name, it showed that she trusted him.

"She's just like me..." Allen thought as he stared at the girl, his expression somber and sad. Before he met Mana, he was simply known as Red. Just another one of the circus's endless bussing boys. It wasn't until he was adopted that he finally gained a last name, and this girl seemed to be in a similar position. "Now that I think about it, Mana was around my age when he took me in." It was hard to believe that his life was impacted so much by such a young man, but that was just how things turned out. "How long have you been picking pockets?" He asked her as the girl rubbed her nose, which was now slowly oozing out blood.

"I don't know, I've been doing this for as long as I can remember." It was obvious that she wasn't going to tell him any more on the subject, and he didn't blame her. During his time in London's slums, he had met many children like her. Born to parents either too poor or too neglectful to care for their kids. They'd be tossed from orphanage to orphanage at an early age, before finally ending up on the streets. It was at that unbelievably sad moment that an idea came to Allen's head. When the girl wasn't looking, he turned away and hastily got to work.

"Hey... Miss." He said as he tapped Ikuko's shoulder in the most serious tone he could manage. Eventually, after quite a bit of tapping, she finally turned to look at him.

"Mister, what are you doing?" She asked him, clearly unamused. Using some nearby dust and flowers, Allen had painted his face in the fashion of a stereotypical clown. Thanks to his injuries, and the swelling he got as a result, he was able to show Ikuko a whole variety of unique faces before he was forced to rub his makeshift-makeup off.

"That was supposed to make you laugh." He told her as he rubbed his face. Thanks to that little stunt, every inch of skin from his forehead to his chin had become unbelievably irritated and tender. However, at the moment, it was obvious that Ikuko was in no mood for humor. So instead, she just turned around and continued to stare awkwardly at the ground. "I guess there's just no pleasing some people." Allen thought as he leaned back against the wall. As he did this, he cracked an eyelid open and stared at Lelouch and the rest of the Student Council. One of the Japanese onlookers had called the police and actually managed to find a good officer. The second he arrived Lelouch and the rest of their little band immediately went to notify the man on what had just happened. They provided him with everything: detailed notes on the attackers, descriptions of the ringleader, and the direction in which they made their escape. None of them left any stone unturned, especially not Kallen and Suzaku. Sadly, the man had to leave before they were finished with the report. Allen overheard him say that he had been directly ordered to ignore any calls that came from the Japanese, and was actually late to an important meeting. He didn't even have the time to speak with him or Ikuko before he had to hop into his car and drive off. "That's probably the last we'll be seeing of him..." after what had just happened, Allen seriously doubted that their report would ever make it into the system. Otherwise, this brutal attack would've been stopped far sooner than it actually was.

"Allen, I really can't apologize enough for what has happened." Milly said as she and the rest of the Student Council walked up to where they were sitting. "This was supposed to be a fun tour through the city, but it ended up like this..." The girl seemed to be on the verge of tears, and she wasn't the only one. Shirley, Rivalz, and Nina were all looking a little stuffed up.

"Yeah, it has been one heck of a first day, that's for sure." He told her in an attempt to cheer the girl up. As he talked, Kallen walked over to them and took out a small first aid kit from her purse.

"Here, you two are heavily injured." She said as she took out some gauze and turned to Ikuko. "Okay, little one, just stay still as I patch you up. It'll be over before you know it." She told the girl in the most kind, warmhearted, tone she could manage. However, before she could even begin, Ikuko recoiled back. Her eyes filled with unimaginable fear.

"No... please… I'm sorry." The girl mumbled in between terrified shakes.

"What? Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of." Kallen tried her best to convince the girl that she was trying to help her, but it was no good. Her eyes were too busy glued to the Britannian symbol which was etched onto her jacket.

"Kallen, here, let me. Judging by her reaction, and what just happened to her, I think it's pretty obvious that she's scared of Britannians." Suzaku said as Kallen begrudgingly handed the boy her first aid kit. "Hey, you know who I am right? My name is Suzaku Kururugi, and I'm Japanese like you." He said as he also tried to mend the girl's wounds. However, like with Kallen before him, the girl recoiled back.

"I know you, you're part of their military. Y-you're one of them." She said as she stared straight into Suzaku's eyes. Just as afraid, if not more so, than before. Suzaku sighed as he stepped back and scratched his temple, this was going to be difficult. Her fear for Britannians had overflowed into complete paranoia. At this rate, even if they took her to a hospital, she'd probably just end up running away. Allen sighed as he got up and plucked the first aid kit from Suzaku's hands. "Allen, what are you doing? You need to rest! You're just as injured as she is!" The boy told him as he kneeled down and lightly tussled the girl's hair.

"I'm a far cry from Suzaku or Kallen, but I think this Europian can get the job done. That is, if you'll allow me." Allen told the girl as he picked up one of her bruised hands and started to wrap them in bandages. However, even with him doing the actual work, Ikuko was still very nervous. After a while, Allen nodded and turned back to Suzaku and the rest. "I'm sorry guys, but could you all wait over there? I think your presence is making her anxious." That request definitely didn't sit well with Kallen or Suzaku, but thankfully, the two understood and quickly backed away. Once they were all at the other end of the plaza, Allen grinned and turned back to the girl. "Is this alright? Will you let me help you now?" He asked her as the girl nodded. Without saying a word, she held up her toothpick-like arms and allowed him to rub some disinfectant onto the various cuts and bruises. During the process, Allen's hand slipped, and his left wrist accidentally came in-contact with the girl's exposed skin. "Oops!" Allen thought as he quickly readjusted his sleeve. "I can't have her seeing that." Thank the lord that Ikuko's eyes were still glued to the ground, or she might have noticed his scaly black skin. "Now then..." Allen mumbled as he returned his focus to Ikuko's injuries. "Back to the task at hand." As he scanned over the girl's arm looking for the next wound to treat, he noticed something strange. "Wait a minute... where are all of the injuries?" He thought as he carefully inspected Ikuko's arm. Last he checked, her left arm was still in dire need of treatment, but now there wasn't a scratch on it!

"Is everything okay Mister?" She asked him as she allowed her left arm to fall to her side. For the first time since he had met her, Allen saw the girl smile. "Wow, you're really good at that, my left arm feels great!" She whispered, still in pain from the rest of her injuries.

"How did that happen?" He was at a loss for words. Ikuko was just a normal girl, she shouldn't have been able to recover that quickly. However, as he carefully inspected the girl's arm, he noticed something strange. An unbelievably faint layer of fine dust had coated her skin. It seemed to radiate an oddly soothing aura, and was slightly warm to the touch. With the way it seamlessly melded with Ikuko's body, it would've been nearly impossible to notice unless he already knew what the mysterious dust was, which he did. "Crown... Clown?" He thought as he stared at his left hand. His innocence wasn't activated, he didn't even feel it pulse. However, all on its own, it managed to heal some of Ikuko's wounds. "Could this be because Ikuko accidentally touched my left arm?" Even if that was the case, such a thing should've been impossible. His innocence didn't have the ability to heal wounds. "No, wait a minute..." thanks to the information the pope gave him, he knew that, after the holy war was over, innocence started to act strangely. Pieces started to disappear, including those made into anti-akuma weapons, until it seemed as if God's crystal had completely vanished from the Earth. However, given what he had just witnessed, it was possible that there was more to it. "Could my innocence be evolving?" The prospect was confusing, but when he considered the volatile nature of the crystal, it made sense. However, there were still some major holes in his theory. Namely, that such a massive change in the overall theme of an anti-akuma weapon's abilities had never been documented before. "If that's the case, maybe it comes down to humanity itself." In the past, the Earl told him that Noah's genes were lying dormant within all of mankind. But, since the Noahs were gone now, that meant that their genes must've disappeared as well. Which meant that, as strange as it sounded, the affect innocence would have on a normal person would be more extreme. Since humanity was now freed from the Earl's dark matter, that meant their bodies were now more-susceptible to God's crystal.

"That arm of yours does not belong to you, remember that Allen. Your weapon is the left arm of God." He remembered Bak telling him something along those lines, but he never really gave them any thought. He had gotten so used to seeing innocence as a weapon for destroying evil that he had forgotten what it really was: the crystallization of God's power. And now that power was being put to use in a different way.

"If that tiny bit of contact healed her this much, I wonder what would happen if I..." as he thought, Allen reached around Ikuko's head and stealthily removed his left glove. "Tell me, do you feel any pain when I press here?" He asked the girl as he touched the back of her head with his exposed palm.

"No..." she told him as the faint dust, which had previously only covered one of her arms, stretched across her entire body. Before she had the chance to notice her rapidly-closing wounds, Allen finished bandaging her arms and legs.

"There, all finished." He said as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Now, tell me, do you feel better?" When the girl nodded her head, Allen smiled and helped her up off of the ground. "I did what I could, but we still have to find you a place to stay and recover. I know you don't have any parents, but do you have any friends near here who would be willing to take you in? Or maybe one of your old orphanages?" There had to be somewhere she could stay.

"The Britannians burned my old orphanage to the ground. The rest of them are full." Allen scoffed, he found it hard to believe that every orphanage in a town like this was full. However, after reflecting back on Ikuko's position, it made sense that she couldn't find a proper home. After all, she had no papers, no forms of identification, she didn't even have a last name. Plus, he doubted that any Britannian-run orphanage would be willing to take in someone like her. And when he considered how dire the situation was in the slums, he couldn't really blame the girl for trying to stick it out on her own. "I've tried so hard, Mister, I just want... to live." As she said that, the girl started to fall. Her legs weak from malnutrition and exhaustion.

"Woah there!" Allen said as he caught Ikuko before she crashed into the ground. As she lay still in his arms, Allen felt a slight rumbling coming from her stomach. "Jeez, what are we going to do with you?" Ikuko didn't answer him, the second her body hit his arms she passed out cold. "Go ahead and sleep, little one, you've more than earned it." He whispered softly as he wrapped her arms around his shoulders so he could carry her on his back. "Now that I think about it, my apartment should be near here." He was right, from where he was standing he could see his apartment building towering up into the sky. "My first night in my own apartment is going to be spent on the couch, how fitting." He chuckled.

"Allen!" He heard Kallen yell as she ran up to him, clearly worried about the girl. However, after taking a moment to inspect the bandages, she gasped. "How in the world did you manage to do all of this with only a simple first aid kit?" She asked him as the rest of the Student Council joined them.

"What? Did he do something wrong?" Suzaku said as Kallen shook her head.

"No, in fact, he administered the first aid perfectly. Better than that, actually. I can barely see any trace of injury." Allen shrugged as he handed the first aid kit back to Kallen.

"It was nothing, really, I just administered the basics." He knew that Kallen didn't believe that for a second, but she didn't care enough to ask him to elaborate. She was far more worried about the girl's wellbeing, and after seeing how, relatively speaking, good a condition the girl was in. She let out a sigh in relief.

"So then, what are you going to do now?" Milly started as she looked at her clock, it was nearly four already. "If possible, I can try to call one of her guardians. Or, if that doesn't work, I can always notify a nearby orphanage."

"Will our orphanages even accept her? I mean, she is an Eleven." Rivalz said to Milly's immense disappointment. However, before the two could start brainstorming, Allen stopped them.

"You guys don't need to worry, I've already come up with a plan." He knew that Ikuko didn't want to go back to the slums, nor did she feel safe in any Britannian-ran institution. At least for tonight, she could stay at his place.

"Are you sure? We could at least get you a ride." Shirley started before Allen, once again, shook his head.

"Thanks, but after what just happened I think we'll be fine. Plus, I know you're all busy." None of them wanted to mention it, but all of their phones had been blowing up ever since they arrived at the plaza, Lelouch and Suzaku's especially so. "Being on the Student Council is tough work, and Suzaku, you're in the military. Don't keep your superiors waiting. Don't worry, I think I still have enough strength in me to get this girl to a safe place."

"Allen..." he heard Kallen say once again. "But you're also injured and haven't undergone any first aid procedures! Before you leave, at least let us do that much!" Sadly, he had to shoot the girl's offer down. That wouldn't be necessary.

"You all worry too much, you know that right?" He told them as he started to walk away. "If you want to help me, you just need to do your jobs. As long as I have the Student Council on my side, I'm certain that the other students will come to accept me as their friend and colleague." Kallen, Suzaku, Milly, Lelouch, and the rest of their little group all grinned when they heard that and nodded.

"As long as you're certain you'll be okay..." Milly said as Allen smiled and walked away.

"Trust me, I may not look like it, but I'm pretty tough! Thanks for everything you guys did for me today, and I'll see you all in class tomorrow!" With his goodbyes now out of the way, Allen turned his attention back to the sidewalk and started the trek back to his apartment. "Mana, wherever you are, I hope you're watching." He thought as he felt Ikuko's stomach start to rumble again. With that, he quickened his pace, and disappeared into the Tokyo Settlement streets.

* * *

As apartments went, Allen's was fairly normal. His humble abode was located on the thirty-fifth story of the skyscraper, and had a fantastic view overlooking the Tokyo Settlement. It consisted of three bedrooms, a living room, a medium-sized kitchen, and a large balcony. The balcony, which was by far the fanciest part of his apartment, was covered by a spherical glass roof. Most of his furniture was provided to him by the Vatican, with some pieces being nearly fifty years old. However, to him, they still looked completely new. "Okay, let's get you into a bed." He said as he opened the door to the master bedroom, which was the only bedroom that had an actual bed in it. The other two had been converted into a small library and study, with books from all over the past few decades lining its shelves. After carefully placing Ikuko underneath the warm covers, he went into his bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Stored inside were bottles of nutrient supplements the pope had given him. To be able to contain the copious amount of bottles, the Vatican had his medicine cabinet specially made. Instead of opening on a typical hinge, it folded outwards on a spring, revealing the cabinet's multiple compartments. "Since she's malnourished it would be dangerous for me to give her any solid food." He thought as he took out a single pill and dropped it into a small teacup. After that, he went over to his kitchen and turned on the stove, which already had a tea kettle resting on it. Once the water was properly heated, he took some tea leaves from his pantry, ground them up, and tossed them into the teacup along with the warm water. To finish the brew, he tossed in a small squeeze of honey, and allowed the pill to melt. "These things taste pretty bad, so hopefully, this way, she'll be able to keep it down." With that out of the way, he picked up the cup, and headed back into the bedroom.

"Ah! Where... where am I?!" He heard Ikuko yell from inside the room, she sounded scared. However, when he walked in, she noticeably calmed down. "Mr. Walker?" She mumbled, still completely unware as to what was happening. Like an animal who was far away from home, she looked at him with one of her eyebrows raised and her head slightly tilted. It would've been cute if it wasn't for the fact that she was just barely holding her head up. Allen smiled as he pulled up a chair and handed her the cup.

"Don't worry, you're safe now, this is my apartment." He told her as she sniffed the tea he had made. "Go ahead and drink that, the taste may leave a lot to be desired, but I promise you that'll help." Without so much as a peep, Ikuko nodded and downed the cup in one fell swoop. When she was done, she handed the cup back to him, and shuddered.

"That was... terrible." She mumbled as she rubbed her mouth. Allen smiled as he watched the girl lean back into the bed. The effects of the pill were nearly instantaneous. Her stomach had finally stopped rumbling, and some of the color had returned to her cheeks.

"There we go, do you feel better now?" Allen asked her as he set the cup on the bedside table. Ikuko smiled and nodded, she couldn't remember the last time she had a meal that filling! "Alrighty then, now that that's out of the way..." Allen started as he slapped his knees and stood up. "Why don't we get you cleaned?" Save for the few patches of skin he had rubbed with alcohol and disinfectant, the majority of Ikuko's body was covered in dirt and grime. The smell of the gutter wafted off of her in spades, and her oily hair had tied itself into multiple tight knots.

"Cleaned? Do you mean here?" She asked him, Allen nodded. Where else could she go to wash herself off.

"I'll go ahead and get the water running. For a kid your size, it may be a bit too big for you, but I think you can manage." He said as he turned back towards the door. However, before he could take a step forward, Ikuko reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He sighed when he saw the unsure look the girl was giving him. "I already know what you're going to ask. No, I don't want anything from you in return. I'm doing all of this because I want to, and that's that." Allen didn't blame her for not completely trusting him, when he was her age he did the exact same thing. Thankfully, after all that he did, it didn't take much to convince Ikuko to let him help her. Once he was freed from her grasp, Allen hurried to the bathroom and got the water running. "Now that I think about it, I should probably go get her some new clothes." The outfit she was wearing now was practically falling apart. "I can probably do that while she's in the bath." If he remembered correctly, there was a clothing store not that far from his apartment. If he was quick, he could be back within twenty minutes. "Ikuko, your bath's ready!" He called out to the girl as he neatly laid out some soap and rags for her to use. After that, he walked back out into the hall and held the door open while she scuttled into the bathroom. "I'm going out for a bit, I should be back within the next half-hour." The girl simply nodded her head as she closed the door behind her. After that, Allen grabbed his jacket from the apartment's only coatrack, and headed for the front door.

"Mister..." he stopped when he heard Ikuko's muffled voice coming from the bathroom. "Thank you, for everything."

"There's no need to thank me, you just focus on getting better." He told her as he checked his pockets to make sure he wasn't missing anything. "Oh, that's right, if I want to buy stuff I'll have to bring my card." The people in this time used cards and other new forms of technology to spend their money. And, of course, that meant he had one too. Before he left, he went into the living room and rifled through some of the unpacked boxes that lay scattered around the floor. After quite a bit of digging, he found his card. "There we go…" he thought as he slipped the piece of plastic safely into his wallet. "Now then, let's go get some clothes." With that, he straightened his hair and headed for the main door. As his boots clinked against the hardwood floor, he looked down and grinned as he saw his reflection staring back at him. It was just an impulse, an action he did without thinking. However, in that moment, he saw something strange. "Wait... what?" He thought as he stopped moving just as he opened the door. For a split second, he swore that his eyes were gold. "No, that's impossible, it's probably just the light messing with me." Just to be sure, he took a step back, rubbed his eyes, and once again stared at the floor. However, this time, his eyes were their normal silver color. "I knew it..." he was probably just being paranoid. It had been a long day, after all, maybe he was just seeing this? As he forced what he had just saw to the back of his mind, Allen swung the door open and exited his apartment. He didn't see it, but right before his hand touched the metal doorknob, a tiny spark of black electricity sprang out of his body. "It's all in my head, I'm just overthinking things." He mumbled as he made his way to the nearest elevator. As the doors closed, he reached up to his forehead and rubbed it. For some reason, he was suddenly getting a minor headache.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Well this one took a bit longer than I hoped for but I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Please, if you can, tell me in a review what you think about Ikuko so far? I'm putting a lot of work into her character, so I hope you guys like her. Granted, she hasn't had much to say in these first couple of chapters. But I promise you that the wait will be worth it! Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. So, all of you have a good day, thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 6: ****Prelude**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my friends! Welcome to the last chapter of the six-chapter bonanza marathon I've been running for the past few days. Unlike my other stories, as -man is my favorite anime/manga, I plan on updating this one quite frequently. Now, the next chapter won't be out until I release the next chapter in my most popular story. But, to give you an idea of when the next chapter for this story will drop, it will probably be sometime within the next month or so. The next chapter is going to be longer than these previous ones as well, so do look forward to it.**

**Anyway, that's enough chit chat, let's get on to the part you all are here for!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Prelude**

Kallen yawned as she walked into her classroom and rubbed her tired eyes. Right after that whole fiasco with Allen and the girl, Zero summoned everyone for a meeting to discuss the recently-freed Kyoshiro Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords. Obviously, the five warriors decided to join the Black Knights. However, for them to work properly as a cohesive unit, Zero practically forced all of them into a lengthy conversation on their ideals and strategies. The crazy part was, she felt like it actually worked. "He really is amazing, Zero." Their leader was a mysterious person, that she knew for certain, but he had a knack for getting the job done in the strangest ways. After that meeting, she spent the rest of the night talking to some of Rakshata's engineers about her Gurren. To be more specific, Zero wanted the two of them to discuss possible countermeasures that they could use against the Lancelot. Suzaku's knightmare had proven to be quite troublesome over the past few months, and it was obvious that they needed to start upgrading their arsenal. "I see Lelouch is sleeping as usual." She told Suzaku, wearing a fake smile the entire time, as she took her seat.

"Yeah, he's been like that ever since we got here. He told me that he was up all night working on a project, or something like that." The Student Council's vice president was dosing off without a care in the world. However, somehow, he managed to do so while staying upright. As the rest of their class poured into the room, she watched as a few of her friends turned on their monitors and started to watch something.

"Hey, isn't that the transfer student? You know, the one from Europia." She heard one of them say, her eyes glued to the screen. "Kallen, didn't you and the rest of the Student Council show him around town the other day?" The same girl asked her. Kallen, who at this point was very curious to find out what had everybody in such a ruckus, raised an eyebrow and walked over to the two girls.

"What in the world are you guys talking about?" She asked them as her eyes wandered to the screen. Her classmates were watching a video which had gone viral just a few hours ago. It took the Gurren's pilot mere seconds to recognize what the recording was actually about. "Hey, this is from the other day!" She told her classmates as she watched the video play out. It was blurry, and had obviously been recorded on a phone, but she'd recognize those men anywhere. The video, which was probably taken by one of her countrymen, showed the assault she had witnessed just the other day. Whoever recorded it was at the front of the crowd, so she, Suzaku, and the rest of the Student Council, weren't shown. However, the video did show the Britannians assault on that Japanese girl, and, which was probably what caused it to go viral, showed Allen dashing in to save her. In terrifying detail she watched as the boy was beaten black and blue trying to protect the girl. The change in perspective really helped her see how badly injured the boy actually was, and even though she was there to witness it in-person, found it hard to watch. "That idiot really should've let me treat his wounds." She thought as she bit her lip. With the injuries he got, by the end of the whole ordeal, he should've been at death's door.

"This video has been removed and reuploaded so many times now." One of the girls told her as she turned away from the screen. "Ugh... I feel like I'm going to be sick. That poor boy, I can't believe we saw him in class just the other day." Kallen was shocked, these were the same people who yesterday were cursing the ground Allen walked upon.

"You aren't mad that he saved an Eleven?" She asked the girls and some of the other students, all of them looked at her as if she was stupid.

"It's different when it's an Eleven who doesn't know their place." One of the boys said as he frowned and turned his head back towards the screen. "But from where I'm standing, it looks as if those guys just decided out of nowhere to kill that kid. Even if she is an Eleven, I can't say I'm comfortable with just beating up children." Kallen sighed, thank God the video didn't have any audio, or they would've learned that the reason the girl was assaulted was because she had stolen something from a one of the men. Child or not, she knew for a fact that, if these people knew the full story, none of them would hesitate to throw the girl and Allen under the bus.

"If only you bastards knew how many kids your country's military have massacred." She thought as she walked back to her seat. If she talked to those people any longer, she wasn't certain that she'd be able to keep a cool head.

"Do you know if Allen managed to make it to a hospital last night? I know that he said he'd take care of the girl, but those injuries he had were pretty serious." Suzaku asked her. Kallen shrugged, she had no idea. "Darn, I guess we'll just have to wait until he get's here." Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long. Just two minutes later, Allen walked into the classroom looking as fit and healthy as ever.

"Wow, you sure heal quick." Kallen said as the boy took his seat, Allen laughed, it would take a lot more than some random thugs to do him in.

"I don't know what to say, I guess I'm just thick-skinned." Kallen and Suzaku frowned, his skin would have to be as hard as iron if that was true. However, neither of them decided to press the issue, they were just happy he was okay.

"What happened to the girl? Did you find her a place to stay?" Suzaku asked him, Allen smiled and nodded.

"I figured something out. She should be resting peacefully in a warm bed right about now." He told them, keeping his words vague. At the moment, he didn't really know how to tell them that the girl was staying at his place. For now, he'd keep them in the dark on that little detail.

"That's a relief." Suzaku said as he and Kallen both leaned back into their chairs. As they did so, Allen looked around the room and frowned.

"By the way, did either of you have a chat with our classmates? I'm not getting as many glares as yesterday." Granted, he was still getting quite a few, but there was definitely a change in the students general attitude towards him.

"Your little stunt the other day is all over the net. After seeing how badly you got roughed up, they've probably decided that they'll give you some space, for now." Kallen told him. She had no doubt in her mind that some of the prominent nobles would still try to give Allen some trouble. But, at the moment, he probably didn't have to worry about getting death threats from every student in the school.

"Well that's definitely an improvement." Allen said as he flipped out his phone and stared at his schedule. Most of it was the same as yesterday's, however, there was one class on it that made him worried. "Gym... that's going to be a problem." He mumbled, causing Suzaku to chuckle. The boy must've heard him.

"Ah, come on Allen, you can't be like Lelouch who skips gym whenever he get's the chance. Otherwise, your body will become weak." After he said that, Allen swore he heard Lelouch scoff.

"That's not really the problem." He thought as he stared at his left hand. Since Ashford's gym uniform had no sleeves, covering his left side would prove... difficult, to say the least.

"If you're worried about working up a sweat, that shouldn't be an issue today." Suzaku told him as he pointed towards a large building on the other end of campus. "Gym today is going to be held in the pool, so you don't have to worry about getting hot." Allen nearly choked on his own tongue when he heard that. Forget the uniform, hiding his arm while wearing a swimsuit simply wasn't possible.

"Is that so. Well then, in that case, I don't have to worry." He told him with a smile, however, internally, Allen was starting to panic. How was he going to hide his arm? Since Ashford was a uniform school, wearing a swim shirt wasn't an option. "I guess I can always follow Lelouch's lead and skip class." Even though he had only been a student at Ashford for two days, he had already heard all about the vice president's infamous skipping. "No..." Allen shook his head. He wasn't Lelouch, and didn't have a condition like Kallen. Plus, his obvious injuries had already completely healed, so falling back on those wasn't an option. Just skipping class was also a no-go, if he started doing something like that this early in his student life, it would only make people suspicious. After all, why would somebody who was willing to take such a beating be adverse to attending simple gym lessons?

"If it's the girls you're worried about, I promise they'll only judge you a little." Kallen joked as Allen started to sweat. Luckily, thanks to his years of gambling, he was able to keep a straight face. However, in that moment of panic, an idea popped into his head. Using his obvious injuries as a scapegoat might have been out of the question, but just lying wasn't. After all, he did get beat pretty bad.

"Suzaku, do you know if this school has any waterproof casts?" He asked the boy. "As you can probably tell, the majority of my injuries have healed, but my left arm still hurts." When he said that, Suzaku smiled and nodded.

"Sure, you can get one from the nurse's office anytime you like. Normally, you'd have to show some proof of injury, but thanks to that video that's been going around I don't think that'll be a problem. And Allen, there's no need to try and act tough. If you're hurting, it's always better to get a professional's opinion than to try and tough it out yourself." Spoken like a true soldier. Allen sighed, if that was the case, then there was nothing to worry about. As the staring bell rang through the air, he turned back to the window and stared at his apartment building. "Ikuko… I wonder if she found that food I left for her." He thought as his eyes wandered about the courtyard. When he got to the Student Council building, however, he stopped for a moment. "Hmm... I wonder who that is?" Standing next to a window was a strange girl with platinum-blonde hair. She wasn't wearing a typical uniform, and was holding a piece of pizza. For a brief second their eyes met. Not wanting to be rude, Allen gave the mysterious girl a little wave. She nodded and returned the gesture, but, immediately afterwards, closed the window's blinds. "This school is just full of strange people." He thought as the professor walked into the classroom. "Okay then..." he mumbled to himself as he got out one of his notebooks and a small pen. It was time for his day to begin.

* * *

Every person had one or two things that they were really good at. In Lelouch's case, he had quite a few talents that he could tout. One of his most useful skills was being able to read a person. All he needed was a few hours and he could reliably predict what somebody would do next. He had used this little talent of his frequently in meetings and other gatherings, and it always seemed to work. However, there was one person he could never read, no matter how hard he tried. And that person was his partner, C.C. Even after all of this time, he still didn't have a clue as to what made the girl work. She was an outlier, an anomaly, and in some ways a threat. In the past, he found that he only needed to use his talents seriously in serious situations. However, now, he found himself using them on a girl who was simply munching on a piece of pizza. "What?" She asked him as she grabbed another slice.

"Could you please keep it down? I'm trying to think." Currently, he was formulating strategies with how to deal with Suzaku. As a possible countermeasure, he asked Rakshata to upgrade Kallen's Gurren. However, he was still stuck. "On ground, Suzaku is near unbeatable unless there is somebody there at his level." Sadly, the only people he had that was on said level was Kallen, and maybe Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords. "Damn..." when he learned that Suzaku was the pilot of the knightmare which had been ruining all of his plans, his mind ground to a halt. Suddenly, all of his strategies needed to be rewritten. And, most importantly, he needed to find another suitable candidate to protect Nunnally.

"I saw that boy today, the new one that you and your friends went out with the other day." C.C. said as she splayed herself over the couch.

"I'm assuming you're referring to Allen Walker?" Lelouch asked her as he scrolled through the daily news.

"Is that his name? Well, anyway, I just brought it up because I thought he looked strange." Lelouch scoffed, she was certainly one to talk. Although, he couldn't help but agree with her. The boy's snow white hair and strange scar was more than enough to prove her point.

"Well, he definitely is a unique fellow, but he's harmless. Besides being uncannily tough, there really isn't much I can say about him." There was no doubt that Allen Walker was a kind soul. But, that seemed to be all he was. Just another hopeless fool who thought he could save everyone using nothing but kindness and his own strength. Suzaku was the same way.

"Really? Even though I only saw him for a second, I thought him to be quite the complex character." Lelouch raised an eyebrow as he turned to face C.C. She didn't say things like that often.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked her as the girl smiled.

"Wow, so even the mighty Zero couldn't see something so obvious." C.C. shrugged. "Then again, I guess what I'm referring to is something you can only see with age." Yet again, the immortal witch threw his mind for a loop. "There's a sadness in his eyes that I've seen in veterans. He's lost his old life, and is now looking towards the future to build something new. That's what I'm talking about." Lelouch sighed as he got up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What you're describing is just another form of optimism. There's nothing unique about it." C.C. smiled when she heard that and closed her eyes. As if she knew something that only she could understand. Over the months, Lelouch had stopped trying to figure her out when she made that face. It simply wasn't worth the time and energy. As he said that, he heard the hourly bell start to ring.

"Isn't that your que to go?" She asked him, Lelouch scoffed. His next class was only gym. There was no reason for him to waste his valuable time training his body when he could be training his mind. Sadly, God must've had it out for him that day because then his phone started to ring.

"Great, it's Milly..." he couldn't say he was looking forward to speaking with her, especially when he already knew what she was going to say. However, even though he didn't want to, he knew that he'd only make things worse if he let it go to voicemail. "Lelouch speaking, what's up Milly?" As he expected, the president of the Student Council proceeded to jokingly lecture him on how he shouldn't be skipping class and whatnot. Normally, he would've just mindlessly agreed with her before hanging up. However, this time, Milly had something else to say.

"Lelouch, this is the first time in weeks that they're holding gym in the pool. Which means that you'll be able to get some quality time with Shirley." Lelouch sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, why did Milly always insist on playing matchmaker? "If you don't come today I'm going to have Suzaku tie you down after class until you and Shirley make up. You two playing strangers just breaks my heart." And there it was, checkmate. He had a meeting with Ohgi and the others directly after school today, one that he couldn't afford to miss. Plus, he knew that Milly would follow through with her threat, that was just how she was.

"Fine then..." he said as his posture slumped. He had to hold the phone away from his ear when Milly started to cheer.

"For the first time in years Lelouch Lamperouge is going to gym class!" Those words hurt him more than any test or essay. He always had a special place in his black heart for gym, and it was there for a reason. "Come on slowpoke, get a move on! The next bell is in five minutes!" Milly's evil laugh gave even his a run for its money. If there was one thing that she had that he didn't, it was her near-limitless supply of energy.

"Dammit..." Lelouch thought as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. He just knew that this was going to be an awful experience.

"Have fun." He heard C.C. say from her spot on the bed. "Break a leg."

"If it's gym, I probably will." And with that, Lelouch frowned, and walked out of the building.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**And thus we come to an end of this long, long, 6 chapter marathon. If you guys have read some of my past works, please tell me if you like this method of writing more. And if you're new to my stories, tell me if you liked the six chapter in one go startup. Since I'm such a huge fan of both Code Geass and -man, I wanted to give you all more than just one chapter to chew on. I feel like, this way, I can not only snag more readers, but also show the fact that I am serious about this story. Other stories on my page may be a bit more one-shotty, I.E. I only write them when I feel like it. But, what I want from this story is something different. I always go in to my -man stories with a plan. And I am determined to do the same here. I already have the next thirteen, yes, thirteen, chapters outlined. So all that's left for me to do is write them. But, since this is the final part of the marathon, I've decided to leave some questions for you guys here.**

**A.) I really am thinking about doing a pairing. So, if you guys want one (for Allen, I mean), I'll leave some options down below. Whichever one gets the most votes is the path I'll go with. To vote, all you have to do is write a review and tell me which one you want. Anyway, the options are as follows:**

**1\. Kallen **

**2\. C.C. (she's only in here for spice, I don't really want to write an AllenxC.C. pairing, but, if you guys want it, I'll go ahead and bite the bullet)**

**3\. Some other girl besides the two I listed above (except for Shirley, mainly cause I can't think of any way - and nor do I want too - to write her out of her thing for Lelouch)**

**4\. You don't want a pairing, keep it platonic.**

**B.) This question is less for all of you, and only to those few who are willing to write an actual review. Basically, all I want to know is if you're enjoying the story and how I could possibly improve it in your eyes. I know this is a weird question to ask (as that's what most people do in reviews anyway) but here I really wanted to emphasize that fact as I really do want to make this story a long one.**

**P.S. By the way, if there are some continuity errors/the time between events in the CG storyline is a bit off, please forgive me for those. I understand if they're major ones, but, for the most part I don't have the day-to-day script of CG memorized. And, to make a good story, I kind of have to work around that.**

**So then, without further adieu, I'll go ahead and close this off. Thanks for reading and supporting this story so far. Please, if you would, rate and review, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 7: ****Old Scars, New Battles**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone I know that I said that this chapter would be out within a month or so, but damn did I just have a burst of writing fever of the past few days! Since this is my newest story, and I've been thinking about it recently, I just felt like I had to get this chapter out! So anyway, that's why this chapter is out so early. Also, I know that this chapter is kind of short, but I just wanted to get it out. So hey, it's short but sweet. You don't have to wait as long and, this way, I can spend more time making the next chapter more interesting.**

**To those of you who voted on the pairing, here are the totals so far:**

**Kallen: 2**

**C.C.: 2**

**Euphemia: 1**

**Other: 3**

**No pairing: 1**

**As you can probably see, the vote is a bit... how should I say it... dead even. I can't really make a decision quite yet at this early stage. So, if you're a guest reading, just click that review button and tell me. You don't have to actually write a review, just tell me what pairing you want (or lack thereof).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 7: Old Scars, New Battles**

Ashford Academy's pool was definitely one of the campus's most extravagant buildings. The gigantic diving boards which were housed inside seemed to scrape the ceiling, and the various pools themselves were absolutely enormous. At the moment, it was packed with students from multiple classes. Today, the gym classes were using the pool for exercises, it was an event that Lelouch had been dreading for weeks. And if it wasn't for Milly's meddling, he wouldn't have been there in the first place. "Well don't you look absolutely miserable?" He heard Kallen say from her spot on one of the nearby bleachers. Currently, she was dressed in the standard girl's swim gear, and actually looked quite happy.

"What? You're actually joining them for once?" Lelouch asked the girl as he watched some of his classmates walk into the locker room. Most of the time, Kallen weaseled out of gym by using her fake illness as a scapegoat. However, today, she was participating like any normal student.

"Ha! That's rich coming from you, Mr. Vice President. Tell me, what did Milly say to stop you from cutting class?" Lelouch sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Just in the nick of time, Rivalz came out of the men's locker room and swung an arm over his shoulders.

"Lelouch, buddy, you finally made it! I seriously thought that you were going to skip on us again!" Rivalz told him as he waved at Shirley, who was currently standing atop one of the diving boards. "Hey Shirley! Lelouch is here!" The second the girl heard that she, and many of their classmates, turned to look at the three of them with wide eyes.

"What? Lelouch actually showed up?!" One of the girls squealed, her face tinged slightly pink.

"Is he in a swimsuit? Somebody take a picture for the yearbook!" Another one said. Yet again, Lelouch sighed as he rested his head in one of his palms. This was another reason why he didn't want to come to the pool, everyone was always so loud.

"Ah! That reminds me!" Rivalz started as he placed something into Lelouch's right hand. "I know that you've forgotten the combination to your pool locker, since you never use it and all, so I got one of the custodians to get me your key. Change quickly, Suzaku and the rest will be here soon. And I know for a fact that they'll want to see you." Lelouch frowned as he stared at the small metal key that Rivalz had given him. The rust that tinged its body showed its age and years of unuse. All he wanted to do now was pick it up and toss it into one of the pools, but obviously, that wasn't an option.

"Dammit..." he cursed as he got up and made his way into the locker room, the sooner he got this done the better. Several male students grinned and chuckled as they watched him walk by. "Yeah, yeah. Our president blackmailed me, so you all know what that means."

"Just go out there and give them hell Lelouch!" One of the second years joked as he slapped him on the shoulder. "I saw Suzaku walk by here a few minutes ago, I think he just got changed." Lelouch just rolled his eyes as he continued on to his locker in silence. Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.

* * *

Lelouch wasn't sure what pissed him off more. Milly's incessant laughter or Suzaku's smug grins. "Lelouch, I have to admit, you certainly look... unique." Suzaku told his friend as he struggled to stop himself from laughing. While Lelouch was by no means out of shape, his skin was as pale as a sheet. "I have to admit, even when you're going to a school of nobles, you still found a way to look overly pampered."

"You should know better than anyone that things like this aren't my strong suit." Lelouch told him as he pushed Suzaku aside while Milly, who had stopped by the pool on her way to class, flipped out her phone and took a picture of the pale nobleman.

"Seeing you in those clothes is honestly rarer than winning the lottery, you know that right? I've got to savor every moment." She told him as she waved Shirley over. "Since you're a member of the swimming club, why don't you show this pale trout around. He looks like he's drowning on dry land." Even though Shirley had seen him before, she couldn't help but giggle when she noticed what Lelouch was wearing.

"I'm sorry Lulu, but I'm going to have to side with Milly here. You look ridiculous!" Lelouch frowned as he returned to his previous spot on the bleachers. If even Shirley was laughing at him, he couldn't even begin to imagine what C.C. would think if she saw him now.

"Maybe you should think about going to the gym with me every once in a while." Suzaku asked him, however, Lelouch shook his head. He would never be caught dead doing something so useless. "Ah, well, you'll change your mind eventually." As he talked, Suzaku sighed and pulled his shirt off. The boy had changed into his swimsuit before he first arrived at the pool, and had even brought along an pair of waterproof sandals. If the insignia inscribed on their sides were anything to go by, it appeared they were issued to him by the Britannian military.

"Why did you bring those along? We're provided with sandals, you know." Shirley asked him as she raised an eyebrow, Suzaku shrugged as he slipped the rubber shoes on.

"Lord Asplund made them for me, they're coated in a protective layer of chemicals that repel moisture and keep in heat. Honestly, on the right days, they're warmer than my usual boots." As weird as that was to say, Suzaku was right. Even from where he was sitting Lelouch could feel the faint heat practically radiating off of the rubber.

"The ingenuity of the Britannian military never ceases to amaze..." Lelouch sarcastically mumbled as he rolled his eyes. "I swear, they're just doing whatever they want now." It appeared Kallen thought the same thing. She didn't say anything, but the smug smile she gave Suzaku told him all he needed to know. "You'd think that technology like that would be better used in things like casts and suits. For example, a few strands of that heat-producing rubber would do miracles if you just put them in a cast or a splint."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But this is just a prototype. Lord Asplund doesn't really pay attention to those sorts of things, he honestly just builds what he wants. And, in some small way, I think that's endearing." Yet again, Lelouch sighed. If he were in Suzaku's shoes he would've called the man wasteful, not endearing. As the rest of them went off to get ready, Suzaku yawned and sat down next to Lelouch.

"Was your training that rough last night?" Lelouch asked his friend as he stared at his exposed body. Laying just on top of all of that muscle and bone was a thin layer of scar tissue. Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, most of them had managed to heal. However, due to the nature of Suzaku's job, scars were practically part of the daily routine. "You got a new one, a burn, this time." He mumbled as he stared at the inflamed flesh.

"Oh this?" Suzaku said as he stared at the scar and laughed. "Don't worry! We were just running some routine checks on the Lancelot when some sparks started flying. Needless to say, a few of them managed to graze me. But I've had worse before. Give it a day or two and my body will be as good as new!" Lelouch scoffed, it was ridiculous that he actually believed the boy. Both in terms of durability and endurance, his friend's body was built like a tank.

"Heads up, you two have got an audience to entertain. Be sure you don't let them down!" Milly told the two boys as she walked over to them with a towel slung-over her shoulder. Over the past few minutes they had amassed quite the crowd of admirers. Girls from all over Ashford were taking glances at the two of them, and while the initial feeling was nice, the glares they got from the male students were not.

"Didn't you say that you had class?" Lelouch asked Milly as the Student Council's president shrugged and nodded. "Then why are you wearing a swimming suit?" Instead of answering him, Milly just walked over and playfully flicked Lelouch on the forehead.

"Oh bah! You know, you aren't the only person here who can afford to skip a class or two!" She said as she leaned back into her chair and waved at Kallen. "The entire Student Council is here, it just wouldn't be right if its president wasn't along for the ride. Plus, I honestly just want to watch you squirm." Lelouch sighed, now that he thought about it, he really should have expected this.

"Still..." he started as Milly gracefully slipped-on her own pair of sandals. "I've got to say that I'm shocked by just how many people are checking you out, Suzaku. Don't some of those girls hate you?" He was Japanese, after all. Milly laughed when she heard that and wagged her pointer finger playfully around in the air.

"Ah, Lelouch, you're brilliant but you understand nothing about women. At the end of the day, regardless of race, eye candy is still eye candy." The second Milly said that, Suzaku blushed and awkwardly coughed into his hand. "And you, my dear friend Suzaku, are so innocent that I could cry. You're a hardened soldier but sometimes you really give off the impression that you're just a big teddy bear." Now it was Lelouch's turn to chuckle. As he did so, he looked around the room and noticed something strange.

"Hey, sorry to cut you off Milly, but where's Walker?" He expected that the new student from Europia would be here by now. However, he was nowhere to be seen. Milly shrugged and shook her head, she had no idea.

"Oh, Allen? Unless I'm mistaken, he should still be in the locker room." Suzaku told the two of them as he scratched his chin. "I saw his stuff when I went in to change, but that's it. What with his injury and all, I'm guessing that he's just taking his time. Those waterproof casts do take a while to put on, or so I've heard." Right on que, Rivalz and the other members of the Student Council walked up to them.

"Hey guys, have you seen Allen? I wanted to show him around the pool, but I just can't seem to find him." Rivalz told them as he scratched the back of his head.

"No... we haven't. Do you think he got lost?" Lelouch wondered as Kallen walked up to them.

"We showed him around campus the other day, I doubt he's that much of an airhead." She was right, Allen didn't seem like the sort of person who would get lost that easily. In fact, he seemed like the opposite of that.

"Maybe we should check the locker room?" Suzaku suggested. "Like I said before, I saw his stuff in there so he can't be that far." Rivalz and Lelouch nodded, searching for him couldn't hurt. It was still his first week at Ashford, after all. "Okay..." Suzaku started as he slapped his knees and stood up. "Lelouch, you go with Shirley and check the back. Rivalz, take everyone else and search the entrance. I'll check the locker room, if we all do our part then I'm sure that we'll find him eventually-" Suzaku stopped when they all heard a familiar voice call out to them from the men's lockers.

"I don't think all of that is necessary, but thanks for your concern." Lelouch and everyone else sighed in relief when they heard Allen's voice. Even though they would've searched for him regardless, none of them were keen on doing a campus-wide manhunt while wearing nothing but swim trunks.

"Thank heavens, for a second there I thought you got lost." Milly started as she turned around to stare at the boy. However, when she did so, the class president went as silent as the grave. "Oh... oh my." Lelouch heard her mumble as the rest of them turned around.

"What in the world could've gotten her so shocked?" He thought as he raised one of his eyebrows. However, when he saw Allen's body, he completely understood Milly's reaction. "Holy..." he was at a loss for words. To say that Allen's body was scarred was an understatement akin to calling a charred corpse a 'little burnt'. He couldn't fathom how the boy's torso was even holding itself together, much less functioning normally. Gigantic scars, from what had to be inhumanly large bullets, riddled Walker's body from top to bottom. However, that wasn't even close to all. Huge gashes were carved out of the boy's flesh. With the largest one stretching all the way down from his shoulder to the bottom of the Europian's stomach. There were also several scars from, what looked like, repeated bludgeonings, beatings, burnings, and other various injuries. To put it in simple terms, the boy looked like he had been tortured.

"How in the world did you get all of those?!" Suzaku whispered as his eyes trailed down to his own scars. Compared to Allen's, his wounds looked like minor scrapes. And with the white waterproof cast he was wearing over his left arm, he honestly gave off the impression of an injured warrior. Not only that, but hiding underneath all of those injuries was a thick layer of hard muscle enough to rival even Suzaku's.

"The place where I grew up wasn't the nicest of areas, let's just leave it at that." Thanks to his perfect poker face, Allen managed to dissuade any of them from trying to dig into his past. However, that couldn't stop anyone from staring at his wounds. Every student in the building was staring at him like he was some sort of zoo exhibit. Some looked at him with pity in their eyes, some with morbid curiosity. However, most simply gagged and looked the other way. "Is it... is it really that bad? If I'm making everyone uncomfortable I can always go put on a shirt." After shaking herself out of her shock, Milly frowned and shook her head.

"No, there's no need for that. After all, the initial shock has already passed. Give them time, and nobody will even bat an eye at you." Allen didn't know why, but he didn't believe that for a second. These were all noble children, and he doubted that they ever saw anyone like him. The closest person they had to compare him to was Suzaku. And while the boy was definitely an accomplished warrior who had seen many battles, none of his scars were anywhere near as deep as some of Lavi's or even Lenalee's. The job of an exorcist was one that most picked up at childhood, and it was never an easy one. They didn't get to fight their battles with gigantic suits of armor to shield them, or had modern medicine to heal their wounded bodies when they got injured.

"Well then..." Allen started as he clapped his hands together, desperate to change the topic of conversation. "When do we get to hop into the pool?" When he asked that question, Milly shrugged and turned to Shirley.

"I don't know, Shirley, do you know when the instructor is supposed to get here?" After a few seconds of thought, the girl shook her head.

"I think he's supposed to get here within the next thirty minutes, but that shouldn't matter. They told us that, if the instructor was late, the swimming club was allowed to start practice. So, if you guys want to, we can get started right now." Shirley, who was obviously very excited about this whole situation, didn't even wait for them to respond before she waved for the rest of the swimming club to start class. Within moments, they had everyone divided into neat little lines at each of the diving boards. While one group swam laps, the rest would practice their diving. And, just because God seemed to hate him that day, Shirley decided to let Lelouch go first. "Go for it Lulu!" She called out to him as the Britannian prince walked up to the edge of the diving board.

"Let's just get this over with." He thought as he jumped over the edge, splashing down unceremoniously into the water below.

"Ow, that sounded like it hurt Lelouch!" Suzaku called out as he did a perfect dive into the water. "You've got to straighten your legs more, otherwise, you'll just flounder around in the air and come crashing down." Lelouch rolled his eyes as he nodded his head.

"I could be doing so many other useful things with my time right now than this." He thought as he swam towards one of the ladders, breathing heavily the entire way there. Eventually, after the rest of the Student Council took their turn diving into the water, Allen walked up to the diving board.

"Try your best Allen!" Suzaku called out to him as the boy prepared to make his leap. After taking a few seconds to make sure he was ready. Allen took a step back, breathed in, and jumped. He plummeted through the air for what seemed like minutes before finally being embraced by the cold water. However, the second his head went beneath the waves, something happened that made his heart skip a beat.

"What?!" He thought as he clutched his left eye, which was now pulsating and throbbing like an inflamed tumor. The pain which suddenly afflicted him was unimaginable, nearly enough to make him pass out. "Crap! I thought you wouldn't do this anymore!" He could feel the metal cog start to form beneath his fingers as black blood slowly seeped out of his cursed eye. Like a predator hungrily searching for prey, his eye scanned over every inch of the pool, looking for something that it knew wasn't there. "Listen to me! There are no more akuma left! You don't need to come out anymore!" In response, Allen felt another jolt of pain shoot through his skull as even more black blood poured out his eye. From there the pain slowly grew, getting worse and worse with every passing second. Eventually, it got to the point where Allen didn't know where he was, or what he was doing. All he could feel was his eye throbbing and moving as it pumped out more and more of the oil-like blood. And then, just before he lost consciousness and his eye finally deactivated, he saw a white hand reach out to him and touch his cursed eye. The hand was clear, almost invisible against the water, and wasn't connected to a body. It simply floated in the waves, or, to be more accurate, in Allen's own consciousness. The second he felt those clear fingers touch his tender skin, he heard a familiar voice speak to him from within his mind.

"_Now Allen, you must go deeper, into the realm of black... and white..."_

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**Author's Note**

**So yeah, I know that I said that this chapter would take a few weeks while I worked on my other stories. But dammit, I just had a rush of inspiration over the past day that I just had to get on-paper! Now, this hasn't affected my writing schedule in the slightest it just means that I got a chapter out early, which I'm sure you guys won't argue with.**

**Now, there's one thing that I'd like to cover. Namely, the pairings. Okay, so I know that I've stated this at the beginning of the chapter, but it really is amazing how dead-even this is. Even when I add-in all of the PMs I've been getting, it still comes out too close to tell. So, if you're reading this now and haven't done so already, please cast a vote. I'd like to make a decision on this matter before I get to the eleventh chapter, so your voting would really, really, help me out.**

**Now, it's time for me to answer some of your guys questions about this story:**

**Okay, so a few of you sent me some questions that I feel like I should answer here. So, here we go.**

**1st) "Will this story have evil-Allen/Noah Allen in it?"**

**Answer: I'm not telling you anything about that, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**2nd) "Will Allen join the Black Knights or Britannia? Do you plan on having him pick a side in the matter?"**

**Answer: I'm not telling you that either, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**3rd) "Do you plan on adding in more characters from -man? Like Lavi, Lenalee, and the other characters?"**

**Answer: MAYBE, and that's a strong maybe. So, to really answer this question, no. At the moment, I just want to focus on writing this story with Allen in Code Geass's world. I don't want to convolute it by adding in characters that don't need to be there. But, who knows? One of these days I might actually add them in. **

**4th) "How long to you plan on making this story?"**

**Answer: If you're reading my other -man story, Beacon's Exorcist, it's going to be around that long. And since Beacon's Exorcist isn't even finished yet, that'll give you an idea to how long I plan to support this story as long as you guys read it.**

**Anyway, that's all for me, I don't want to make this author's note longer than it already is, so I'm going to go ahead and cut it off here. If you guys have any more questions, or want to make a vote for the pairing, be sure to leave it in a review. Other than that, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day/evening wherever you are. And I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter 8: The Bells of Destiny **


	8. Chapter 8

**"Doctor, I've got a fever, and the only prescription... is writing more of this story that I said would take longer." Anyway, yeah, that's about the gist of it. I've just been thinking a lot about -man and CG recently and thought: "Ah hell, let's give them one more chapter before I jump into Wolven Maw and Beacon's Exorcist." So, here you go, enjoy! I made this chapter extra long to help ya'll through the wait! Just know that this will be the last chapter for about a week and a half or so. I've got to work on my other stories... so, without further adieu, cheers!**

**P.S. This bastard is eight thousand words long! So I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 8: The Bells of Destiny**

As Allen's eyes fluttered open, he yawned and stretched out his arms. "God... where am I?" He thought as he rubbed his head, which was still aching from when his curse went haywire. "I wonder what caused it to activate like that?" There were no akuma left in the world, so technically speaking, his curse shouldn't have been able to activate anymore. He frowned as he reached up and touched his left eye, which had reverted back to its normal state. As he shifted about in his bed, he raised his head and scanned over his new surroundings. He wasn't in the pool anymore, and was now sitting in, what looked like, Ashford's nurse room.

"When he dived into that pool he probably reopened one of his wounds." He heard the nurse say from the outside lobby. "I'm glad you managed to scoop him out, Sir Kururugi, or we would've had a real mess on our hands. Before you go inside, is there anything else you, or the other members of the Student Council, noticed when you fished him out of the water?"

"No, besides the nearly black blood, nothing unusual." Allen scoffed when he heard that. How strange was this world that it considered black blood normal?

"Yes, that was probably caused by the new cleaning chemicals the custodians put in the water this morning. I've heard that, with the right blood type and proper amount of specific nutrients, it can have that effect. However, I've never actually seen it happen." Allen sighed as he got up and buttoned his shirt, knowing that he wouldn't have to explain his blood's odd color definitely helped to relieve some stress. And, to make matters slightly better, the nurse had yet to remove the waterproof cast he hid his left arm in.

"Still..." he thought as he gripped his heart, which was beating at a mile a minute. "That was too close." If he wasn't underwater when that happened, Suzaku and the rest of the Student Council would've seen his eye activate. "I need to find out what happened." Something had caused his eye to activate, and he needed to find out what. After taking a few more moments to think, Allen took a deep breath and got up from the bed. However, the second he did so, he tripped and came crashing back down onto the mattress. "Hmm... my legs are more tired than I thought." The area around his kneecaps felt like jelly, and he could barely move his toes. However, after quite a bit of effort, he managed to drag himself back up and walked over to the entrance. "Hello..." he started as he knocked on the door. "If anyone's out there, I'm awake." As he talked, he wrapped his hand around the handle and opened the door.

"So he's finally awake." He heard Rivalz say as he walked over and stared straight into his left eye. "You know, if you had a wound that bad you really should've told us before you got in the pool. You gave everyone quite a scare!" Allen chuckled as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, trying his best to look oblivious and innocent. "The second he saw the blood Suzaku dived in and pulled you out. Your left eye was bleeding pretty bad, no doubt a leftover injury from that scuffle you had with those thugs yesterday."

"I'm really hoping I didn't traumatize anyone." Allen told them as he inspected his left eye in a nearby mirror. When she heard that, Milly laughed and shook her head.

"No, no, no. In fact, when we told everyone that one of your injuries had opened, most of them weren't surprised. You can probably thank the internet for that." For better or worse, thanks to that viral video, they managed to stop the student body from spiraling down into a panic. "We actually took you here for stitches. However, after the nurse inspected your wound, she found that the cut had already started to clot." Allen sighed in relief as he sat down in one of the waiting room benches. It seemed that everything had managed to work itself out. As he stretched his arms, he turned his head over to one of the nearby windows and yawned.

"The sun has nearly gone down!" He started as he turned to the members of the Student Council. "How long have you guys been waiting here?"

"I'd say about three to four hours, give or take." Lelouch told him as his eyebrows narrowed. "If you have injuries that still haven't healed, please tell us Mr. Walker. Telling the custodians that they had to clean blood out of the pool is not something I want to do again." Allen laughed when he heard that and nodded.

"Don't worry, I promise that I'll be more careful from now on." He told Lelouch as he turned to the nurse and politely shook her hand. "Thank you for taking care of me. I know this must've been quite the shock."

"Ah, trust me lad, at this school an open wound or two is nothing. It's the club members that I have to worry about. Well, them and the dueling club." As she spoke, the nurse walked back into her office and plucked a small bottle from her desk. "Here, take one of these, it's a minor antibiotic that will help to ensure you don't get an infection. It's quite draining on the body, so after this, be sure to head straight home." While Allen took the medicine, the nurse turned to Lelouch and the rest of the Student Council and patted Allen on the back. "Just to be sure, I want one of you guys to walk him home. We don't want him collapsing in the middle of the street, now do we?" The nurse told them as she closed the clinic door behind her.

"You guys don't have to do that, trust me, I'm-" Allen stopped when they all heard the nurse's voice from the other end of the door.

"Mr. Walker is one of those martyr types, even if he says he's okay, that means he's not." Allen awkwardly laughed when he heard that.

"She really reminds me of the nurses back in the Black Order." If she was a few decades older, he had no doubt in his mind that she'd be the spitting image of the head nurse. Sadly, that meant she was just as persuasive.

"You heard her, you aren't going anywhere tonight without a buddy." Milly told him as she looked around the room. "Does anyone want to volunteer?" Unsurprisingly, nobody responded. "Suzaku, not even you?" She expected that Ashford's own knight in shining armor would be willing to take the job. However, he just shook his head.

"I've got a required meeting right after this. If I'm being honest, I'm actually over thirty minutes late." Milly pouted as she turned around the rest of the room. Lelouch, obviously, shook his head. And Rivalz and Shirley both had club responsibilities that they needed to attend too. She'd do it, but thanks to her job as the Student Council president, she was already bogged-down with work. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Kallen walked up to her and sighed.

"If all of you are busy, I don't mind watching over him on his way back home. My house is in the same direction anyway, so I know all of the shortcuts." Besides Lelouch, everyone else was shocked. Kallen was, as they knew it, probably the least qualified one for the job.

"Are you sure about that Kallen? You already have your condition to deal with, what would you do if he collapsed?" Milly asked the girl, who simply shrugged and flipped out her phone.

"I think I'm healthy enough to call emergency services if that happens. We aren't out in the ghettos, if things get bad, I'm certain that I'll be able to get Allen to a hospital." Kallen said as she headed for the exit. "Come on, Allen, it's nearly dark. If possible, I'd like to get you home within the hour." She had an important meeting with Zero and the Black Knights in a few hours, so she couldn't afford any delays.

"Right, just let me get my things." Allen told her as he quickly grabbed his bag and coat. In seconds he was out the door and following after Kallen. "Jeez, for a sick girl, she sure is quick on her feet!" He thought as he picked up his pace to a slight jog. Once he finally caught up with the redheaded student. He smiled and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"You sure are happy for someone who nearly drowned." She told him as they walked through Ashford's front gates. Allen shrugged, what could he say? "Hmm... Ashford needs more optimists like you. Besides the people on the Student Council, everyone can be so depressing." Thanks to her efforts with the Black Knights, some of the more... unsavory... students had become quite agitated.

"Is it a crime to be happy that I'm still alive?" Allen asked her, Kallen shrugged. If he was being honest, the actual reason he was so happy was that none of them saw his cursed eye. His life had been so full of bad fortune that, when something lucky like this happened, he'd find himself just standing back and admiring it all. After a few minutes of silence, Kallen asked him a question.

"That girl you saved... did you ever manage to find out what her name was?" She asked him.

"Oh, that... her name is Ikuko." Kallen raised an eyebrow when she heard that. It was obvious that she was expecting more.

"What's her family name?" She asked him, Allen shrugged, that wasn't a question he could answer. "Well shoot, I was going to see if I could find her parents. Or, at the very least, find her a nice orphanage somewhere. A child like that really shouldn't be out in the streets." Allen smiled, he agreed with her, that was why he was letting Ikuko stay in his apartment. "Do you know if she's doing well?"

"Yeah..." Allen started as he stared at his apartment complex off in the distance. "I think she's doing just fine." If he had to guess, she was probably watching television or eating something right now. When she heard that Ikuko was safe, Kallen let out a sigh of relief and led them around a corner. Off in the distance, he could see the roof of her mansion towering over the surrounding buildings.

"I'll never understand why people need such big houses." He thought as his lips curled into a frown. "Are you not stopping here?" He asked Kallen as the pair walked straight past the large mansion.

"I told Milly and the others that I'd make sure you got home safely, and that's exactly what I plan on doing." That wasn't the real reason, of course, the reality of it was that the Black Knight's headquarters was already in that direction. "Once you're through the main doors, I'll go ahead and leave you alone." Allen nodded as he watched the moon's faint outline hover above them. They probably only had an hour or two of daylight left, if that. Eventually, after taking a shortcut through one of the back alleys, they arrived at Allen's apartment complex.

"Great, right on schedule!" Kallen thought as she stared at her disposable phone, which was now ringing. "Ohgi and the others must be waiting for me, I'll have to be quick!" She thought as she reached up and placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. "Allen, I've got to get going. Will you be okay by yourself from here on?" She already knew what the boy's answer would be, but it was only polite to ask.

"Yeah, I should be fine. Thanks for the help." Allen said as he gave Kallen one of his signature short bows.

"Now, now, there's no need for that." Kallen said, her cheeks tinged slightly red. "Jeez, he's a good guy, but some of his notions on modesty are positively ancient." She thought with a smile. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but for people their age, it just looked strange. "Oh shoot..." she mumbled as her backup phone started to go off. "Ugh, if I don't hurry I'm going to be late!" With that, she waved Allen goodbye, and started the jog back to her house.

"For someone with such an extreme condition, she sure is an active person." Allen chuckled as he turned around and walked into the apartment complex. The doors automatically slid open when he got close with a satisfying _ding_. As he walked in, he looked around the lobby and smiled when he saw the numerous groups of bustling people. It was moments like this that really made him feel alive, and reminded him of his place in the world. "It's my duty to protect these people, to protect these smiles." He thought as he squeezed his left hand into a fist. "That is my path."

"Oh! Mr. Walker!" He heard one of the receptionists call out to him. She was in her mid-twenties with long brown hair, and had a welcoming smile. With quite an amount of effort, she picked up a large box and jogged over to him. "This package arrived for you this morning. Due to the sheer weight, I told the mailman to just leave it here with me." Allen sighed as he reached over and plucked the box from the woman's hands. She looked as if she were about to faint.

"Don't overexert yourself. Trust me, I've got this." He told her as he effortlessly slung the box over one of his shoulders.

"How in the world is a boy your age already so strong?" She asked him as she gulped down breaths of sweet air. Allen shrugged as he nonchalantly flexed one of his biceps.

"It's all because of the training." When he said that, the receptionist laughed and returned to the front desk. "Do you guys need any help?" He asked her and the other receptionists, all of them grinned and shook their heads.

"There's no need for that, Mr. Walker." The girl told him as she typed something into her computer. "You have a good night." Allen smiled as he turned around and headed for the elevator. In the short time since he first moved in, he quickly grew to be one of the building staff's favorite residents. He didn't complain, fixed his own problem, and stayed relatively out of the way. Plus, every once in a while, he'd offer to help carry some particularly heavy mail.

"It looks like they were fairly busy tonight." He thought as he stepped into the elevator. After a few moments, the doors opened and Allen stepped into a large open hallway. "Ah... home sweet home." With a smile, he flipped out his keys and opened his apartment's front door. "Hello? Ikuko? Are you here?" He called out as he rubbed his boots off on the doormat. When he didn't hear a response, Allen raised an eyebrow and walked into the main room.

"I'm in here Mr. Walker." He heard Ikuko's muffled voice say from the back of the apartment. After a little bit of searching, he found out that the girl was actually reading in his apartment's small library.

"Wow..." he mumbled as he watched the girl's eyes greedily devour every page. "What are you reading?" He asked her as he pulled up a chair. Without saying a word, Ikuko lifted up the right cover of the book so that Allen could read its title.

"The Count of Monte Cristo, huh?" Allen was shocked, that definitely wasn't what he was expecting. "Isn't that book a bit advanced for someone your age?" He asked her as he scratched the back of his head. "Is she some sort of child prodigy?" If she was reading that, Ikuko very well could be. However, after a few moments, she pursed her lips and turned to him.

"Mr. Walker, can you read this to me?" She asked him as she practically shoved the book into his lap. From this position, Allen could see the numerous bookmarks that she had shoved into the book's spine.

"Hey... she just bookmarked all of the pictures!" When he saw that, Allen couldn't help but laugh. Ikuko pouted as he chuckled and lightly tussled the girl's hair. "Listen, there's nothing to be ashamed of. If you can't read something just tell me." As he spoke, Ikuko frowned and swiveled around in her chair.

"I... can't read... I'm sorry." Yet again, Allen smiled as he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"She is about that age, after all." He thought as he kneeled down and placed a smaller, easier, book in her hands. "I'm not sure how good I'll be, but if you want, I can teach you how to read." When he said that, Ikuko's eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

"Are you serious?!" She yelled, causing Allen to take a step back, he had never seen her so happy. "Please, can we start right now?!" The hunger for knowledge that burned in her eyes was simply incredible. It was hard to believe that this was the same girl who, just a day or two ago, he'd struggle with just getting to talk.

"Uh... yeah. We can start as soon as you want." He said as she practically dragged him to the living room. After the two of them got comfortable on the couch. Allen opened the book and flipped to the first page. "Do you know the basic alphabet? Or, if not, some Japanese characters?" He couldn't speak, or read, Japanese. But that would at least give them somewhere to start.

"Before the Britannians burned it down, one of my caretakers at my old orphanage taught me the basic English alphabet." Allen sighed in relief when he heard that. When Mana adopted him, he didn't even know that much.

"Alright, then why don't we start here?" He said as he took out a removable marker and highlighted the book's first sentence. "Do you know how to pronounce each letter?" He asked the girl, who shook her head. After he got himself comfortable, Allen grabbed a nearby piece of paper and handed Ikuko a small pen. "Okay..." he said as he took the cap off of the pen. "You have to start with the vowels first, they're..."

* * *

After a few hours of studying, Allen yawned and closed the book. "Well, we didn't get very far..." he thought as he skimmed over what few pages they managed to cover. "But it's something." Ikuko was definitely a fast learner, when Mana was teaching him how to read it took him weeks to even get this far. "Hey... Ikuko…" he started as he gently poked the girl's shoulder. However, there was no response. When he realized that the girl was snoring, he smiled and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "It looks like she tired herself out." After he put the book and studying materials away, he walked over and gently lifted Ikuko up off of the couch. "We can't have you sleeping here, now can we?" He whispered as he carried the girl's sleeping body into the main bedroom. With the lightest, most gentle, hand he could manage Allen placed Ikuko underneath the covers. "Goodnight..." he whispered as he turned the room's light off. Before he walked out, he picked up a small pile of the girl's dirty clothes and tossed them into a nearby hamper. "I'll have to clean those one of these days." He thought as he carried the hamper out of the room. Once he had placed it in a good spot on top of the apartment's washing machine, he opened the door to the balcony and walked outside. "It's a good night." He said as he watched the cityscape below him bustle and churn. Off in the distance he could see a group of Britannian knightmares move throughout the city streets, no doubt heading off towards some dangerous mission. "I wonder if Suzaku is somewhere in there." He knew that the Japanese boy piloted a specialized knightmare, but had no idea what it actually looked like. After that, he walked back into the living room and turned on the television. "Ah dammit, how do you work this thing again?" He cursed as he fiddled with the remote. Even after all of this time, he still had no idea how to properly work televisions. However, after some experimentation, and a lot of cursing, he managed to get the device to turn on.

"Ah! There we go!" He said as he flipped through the various channels. Eventually, he came upon the daily news, and headed into the kitchen. "So Zero's stepped up his game?" He thought as he turned on the stove and got some water boiling. The news he was watching was currently discussing the Black Knight's most recent attack. Apparently, the terrorist organization attacked a military fuel silo a few days ago, causing a whole swath of countryside to become engulfed in flames. "I wonder how much of this is actually accurate." He mumbled as he narrowed his eyes, he knew that the Britannian news was full of propaganda, and was inherently untrustworthy. Out of everything he heard, usually only about a quarter of it was actually true. As he allowed the news to play in the background, Allen went about the laborious task of making Ikuko's lunch for tomorrow. Since the girl was still relatively malnourished, her meals had to be filled with various medicines and nutrients to ensure that she'd heal properly. Once he was finished, Allen wrapped the meal up, and placed it in the fridge. "Now then..." he started as he opened a nearby cabinet and plucked out a bar of soap. "I should probably go take a shower..." his hair was still sticky from the pool, and his body reeked of chlorine. After grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, he headed into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. "I wonder..." he thought as he turned to the mirror and held his left eye open. When it didn't activate, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "God... what caused it to activate?" He had a feeling that he wouldn't like the answer, but still... he had to know why. "That reminds me..." he thought as he walked back out into the hallway as the water warmed up. "I forgot that I have a package to open!" As he lifted the large box onto the kitchen table, he smiled as he carefully removed the tape and removed the box's contents. Inside was a small letter and a large wooden box, after inspecting the two of them for a few moments, Allen opened the letter and scanned over it.

_Dear Mr. Walker,_

_I know that getting this package must come as quite the shock to you, especially after I said that we'd have little contact after you left the Vatican, but believe me, this is all in good spirits. Enclosed inside is an antique that I've had lying about in our armory for years. Normally, I wouldn't give it to you, but after I discovered who the previous owner of this little trinket was, I thought it would be only right to let you have it. I'm sure you know him, before you were forced to leave the Order, he held the title of Inspector._

"Wait what?!" Allen yelped as he immediately put the letter down and opened the main package. "They're giving me one of Link's tools?!" When Allen saw what was actually in the box, he nearly tripped over his own feet. "These are..." he couldn't believe his eyes. Lying inside was a small pair of blades, each one designed to be attached to the wielder's wrists. Clearly confused, he picked the pope's letter back up and quickly read the rest of it.

_I'm assuming that your tutors already taught you the basics in how to use these. They are the Crows standard-issue blades, after all. I thought, since you can't rely on that left arm of yours anymore, that they might come in handy. Of course, to get them through processing, we had to make a few changes. The blades themselves are no longer solid steel. Instead, they consist of a polymer-carbon alloy that can cut through metal like butter. This way, you can take them with you wherever you go without having to fear metal detectors. Of course, the downside of all of this is that the alloy is unbelievably heavy, but I'm sure that won't be a problem for you._

"I can't believe it." Allen mumbled as he looked over the blades. Even though the metal itself had gone through renovations, the tool still showed its age. The leather harness that the blades were attached to was covered in scratches and small holes. However, after a few tests, Allen discovered that the weapons still worked perfectly. "You must've polished these things everyday, didn't you?" He thought as he carefully returned the blades to their box and chuckled. "Link always was a workaholic." After that, Allen took the blades and hid them underneath the refrigerator. "Hopefully, I'll never have to use them." With the path he was on, weapons wouldn't really be necessary. However, they were nice to have. "If the situation calls for it and I have to protect her again..." he thought as he found his eyes wandering back to the main bedroom. Allen shook his head, he was just being paranoid. "Oh shoot!" He thought as he felt some steam waft into the kitchen. "I forgot that I left the shower on!" With that, Allen grabbed his things, and headed back into the bathroom.

* * *

If there was one word to describe what she was feeling right now, it would be anxious. As Kallen hurried into the conference hall, she sighed and let out a breath of relief. "Thank God, I nearly thought I missed it!" She thought as Ohgi and Tamaki gave her a wave. "What did I miss?" She asked the two as she watched Zero walk into the room. Ohgi shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't know, but I've got a feeling that it has to do with the Black Knight's next big operation. I overheard Zero talking to Rakshata about a big sakuradite depot, but I'm not sure." Kallen nodded as several more people rushed into the room. "Rookies, I swear..." she heard Ohgi sigh as the man walked over to help instruct some of the newer faces. For the past few weeks, new recruits had been flooding in from all over the ghettos. At first, their enthusiasm was inspiring, but now Kallen felt that the sheer number of recruits was starting to slow everything down. If it wasn't for Zero's efforts, they would've been crushed by the wave of bodies.

"Kallen, you look stressed." She heard Zero say as he walked down from the podium. Even though his face was masked, she knew that he was concerned. "Are you having trouble at home?" Kallen laughed when she realized what the Black Knight's leader was suggesting.

"No, no... it's nothing like that." She said as she shook her head. "I'm just wondering what our next mission is." As she talked, Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords walked into the room. Brining quite the commotion along with them.

"Is that General Tohdoh?" One of the rookies said as the entire room went silent.

"So it's true, they really did join the Knights." Another recruit mumbled as the five warriors walked up to Zero, all of them with fire in their eyes.

"Hungry for battle, are we not?" Zero asked Tohdoh as he shook the man's hand. "Don't worry, in just a few hours you'll be able to go after as many Britannians as you want." With that, Zero walked back up to his podium and turned to address his awaiting audience. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I summoned you here." He said as he turned on a nearby projector. "The answer to that question is this." As he talked, Zero held up a small sealed canister of pink liquid. "I'm certain that all of you know what this is. For those few who are unfamiliar, this little bottle contains thirty milligrams of liquid sakuradite. This element is what flows through the veins of most of our knightmares, and is the backbone of Britannia's military. For our next mission, our target will be a shipment of this very element." Kallen raised an eyebrow when she saw an image of a massive armed train appear on the projector. "Now, usually, we wouldn't go after shipment's like this as they are usually very well guarded. However, if we can succeed in destroying this one, I'm sure you'll all agree that the tactical advantage we'll gain as a result will be tremendous." With that, Zero changed slides to a wider shot of the train. And when Kallen and the rest saw the sigil branded on its side, they couldn't help but gasp.

"That's Princess Cornelia's sigil!" She heard Ohgi say as he turned to Lelouch. "Are you sure about this Zero? If this fuel is going to Cornelia and her knights, that train will be practically a moving fortress. It'll be tough fox to catch." Zero laughed as he swung his arm through the air.

"Come on, Ohgi, after all that I've done you think that this is impossible?" He said as he flipped the slideshow to the next picture. This time, it was depicting a smaller container with a dark green liquid stored within. "You see, my friends, our goal for this mission is not to destroy the liquid sakuradite, but to infect it." When he said that, Kallen and the rest of them raised an eyebrow.

"Infect sakuradite?" Ohgi said, clearly confused.

"Allow me to provide you with an example." Zero said as he took a small syringe full of the mysterious green liquid and poured it into the container of sakuradite he was carrying. The second the green liquid touched the sakuradite the pink fuel started to bubble and churn. After a few minutes, however, it stopped and returned to its normal shade. "This green liquid is something that Rakshata came up with, it's a sakuradite neutralizer."

"A sakuradite neutralizer?" Kallen mumbled as Zero tossed the small bottle of sakuradite towards her.

"The sakuradite in that bottle is now little more than pink mush. The neutralizer goes after a specific carbon bond in the fuel which renders it useless. Sadly, the neutralizer is extremely expensive to manufacture. So it's impossible for us to use it on a grand scale. However!" Zero raised his voice. "If we can introduce it to the sakuradite housed within this train, none of that will matter!" With every word Zero flipped to a different picture in the slideshow, before finally stopping on a blurry image of Cornelia's knightmare. "Knightmares must refuel, and those that belong to the royal family are no exception. For obvious reasons, the sakuradite that goes into their knightmares is a bit special. Any and all fuel that goes to a member of the royal family is carefully inspected and tested for any sort of outside interference. Normally, this method has proven to be an impenetrable wall of defense for the nobles and their knights. However, today, we will turn that against them. It's no secret that Cornelia and her soldiers are particularly gifted in battle, but, if we neuter their knightmares, they won't be able to do a thing."

"I get it." Kallen thought to herself as a proverbial light turned on in her head. Cornelia and her knights had been a problem for them since day one. And since Cornelia was a member of the royal family, if they simply destroyed her sakuradite fuel she could easily procure more. However, due to the relatively high cost of knightmare fuel, if they infected her special fuel under the ruse of a sabotage mission, she'd still be compelled to make use of it.

"I see our ace has already figured out my little scheme." She heard Zero say as he placed a hand on Kallen's shoulder. Even if it was only for the moment, being able to keep up with Zero's plans on her own filled Kallen with pride. "We'll assault Cornelia's shipment under the guise that we're trying to destroy the sakuradite. While, in reality, we'll only be trying to infect it with Rakshata's neutralizer. If we succeed, Cornelia and her special knightmares will be out of commission for well over three weeks."

"That would definitely help to alleviate some stress." Kallen heard Tamaki mumble as he scratched his forehead. Cornelia and her knights had a habit of showing up at the worst times. "Now if only we could figure out a way to deal with that Suzaku brat, then it'd be smooth sailing." Kallen frowned when she heard that. Among the Black Knights, hatred for the young pilot of the Lancelot was growing. And, even though she hated to admit it, she agreed with them.

"My Black Knights, for the glory of Japan, let us fight and win this battle!" Zero yelled out as he raised his fist triumphantly into the air. Cheers filled the conference hall as rookies and veterans alike rushed to their stations. "Why don't you go and get the Guren warmed up Kallen? I've got a feeling that we're going to need it." Without saying a word, Kallen nodded and hurried towards the main hangar.

"Hey, what's the rush kiddo? Are you that eager to die?" She heard Sugiyama joke as he and Inoue rushed up beside her. When the pair saw Kallen's confused face, they laughed and shook their heads. "Zero assigned us as the rear vanguard for this mission. Which means we'll be fighting with you!" Kallen sighed, that was probably the best news she heard all day. Inoue and Sugiyama weren't the most outspoken members of the knights, but they had been by her side since the very beginning.

"Let's just hope that the two of you can keep up!" She yelled as she hurried into the locker room to change into her jumpsuit. After a few necessary safety checks, she, Inoue, and Sugiyama rushed into the knightmare bay. Engineers and other various personnel had already filled up the knightmares with fresh fuel. Soon, all of them would loaded into the transports to be sent off to battle. "Testing, testing. One, two, three." Kallen mumbled as she spoke into her microphone. "Can you two hear me?" Once Inoue and Sugiyama were both sat in their knightmares, the two opened their cockpits and gave Kallen a wave. "Okay then..." she said as she put the key in the ignition, bringing the Guren to life. "Let's do this!" And with that, they were off.

* * *

Suzaku frowned as he watched the lights of the Tokyo Settlement drift further off into the horizon. From his spot in the Lancelot, the massive skyscrapers which towered overhead looked little more than fragile toothpicks. "Lord Asplund, I don't mean to be rude, but why are we here again?" He asked his superior as he felt the hum of the train's engine whirr beneath his feet.

"Oh, have you finally started to question your superiors orders?" He heard Lloyd joke as the man continued to tinker on some of the Lancelot's circuitry. "Don't worry Suzaku, this is nothing more than a simple escort mission." As the man talked, Suzaku watched as a group of Britannian soldiers walked past him. A few of them shot a couple of resentful glares his way, but the vast majority simply carried out their work in silence. "Incredible, isn't it? Cornelia runs her soldiers with an iron fist. Even if many of them don't like you, not a single one will be giving us any trouble." When he heard that, Suzaku sighed in relief. "Is that grumbling I hear?" Lloyd asked him as he pulled a few wires out of the Lancelot's chassis.

"No, it's just chemistry homework. This essay I'm writing is giving me trouble." Suzaku said as he bit the pencil he was holding.

"You've got to write an essay for chemistry? My word does that sound dull. Don't you think Cécile?" He asked his assistant, who nodded. "Tell me, what's the subject of that little essay you're writing, Mr. Kururugi?"

"It's on the basics of anions and cations, as well as a short summary on the chemical makeup of sakuradite." Needless to say, most of this was beyond what he could study on his tight schedule. However, Lloyd was more than happy to help.

"If you need someone to point you in the right direction, don't hesitate to ask Ms. Croomy or myself. Trust me, we know sakuradite like we know the back of our hands." Lloyd told him as sparks from the torch he was wielding flew up into the air. "Oops, shoot, the cord came loose." He mumbled as the train started to shake. "It looks like we're hitting the rough of it now. Suzaku, make sure you have the Lancelot's dryers on. I don't want the wind to shoot some unwanted water into one of the circuits." Suzaku nodded as he flipped a small switch on the Lancelot's dashboard, causing an array of small heat vents to open-up across the machine. "Hmm..." Lloyd mumbled as he checked his watch and turned to his assistant. "How much longer before we arrive at the station, Ms. Croomy?"

"We'll be meeting Princess Cornelia and her escort in about two hours, give or take. After that, we'll aid in the sakuradite transport, and that'll be it for the night." Llyod sighed and shrugged when he heard that.

"The timings the royal family comes up with, I swear." He said as he craned his neck back to get a look at the rest of the train. They were stationed on one of the back cars. Cornelia and her knights, however, were all stationed in the royals cabin at the front of the train. "If we're supposed to be protecting her, why were we placed so far away from the action?" Cécile rolled her eyes as she turned and looked back up at the Lancelot's pilot compartment.

"Suzaku, are you alright in there?" With the dryers constantly going the way they were, that little compartment they made must've been getting quite stuffy.

"Oh, don't worry Ms. Croomy, I'm fine." Suzaku said as he wiped some sweat off of his brow. "A little heat like this is nothing." He thought as he returned his focus to the essay he was writing. After that, minutes passed by in silence. As the train powered endlessly through the Japanese countryside, Suzaku yawned and looked out at the rolling hills and lakes which passed them by. "How pretty..." the boy thought with a grin as a few nocturnal birds flew through the air above. However, as he watched the birds fly through the trees, Suzaku noticed something rather strange coming from one of the clearings. "Hey, Lord Asplund…" he started as he subconsciously placed a hand on the Lancelot's ignition. "Do you know what that is?"

"Hmm...?" Llyod started as he turned around and stared in the direction in which Suzaku was pointing. "What are you looking at Mr. Kururugi?" He asked him as he straightened his glasses. "All I can see is the breathtaking countryside. Maybe you're-" he stopped. "Ms. Croomy, give me some goggles. Quickly!" He yelped as his assistant rushed to procure the tools he asked for. After she found a working pair, Lloyd took them and held the goggles up to his eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, that looks just like..." he thought as he searched for the strange object that he and Suzaku were looking at. Off in the distance was, what looked like, a strange pile of rocks. Normally, he wouldn't bat an eye at something so mundane. However, for some reason, he was feeling curious that night. And, when he finally got a good look at that strange pile of rocks, Lloyd took a step back and reached for his transmitter.

"Lord Asplund? Why are you using this line? It is only supposed to be used for emergencies." Cécile gasped when she realized who Lloyd had contacted.

"Yeah, I know, sorry about that Princess Cornelia. But... you see... this is an emergency." Lloyd said as he took a step back and pressed a small button on the Lancelot's leg, which instantly closed the knightmare's cockpit.

"Lord Asplund, what's going on?" Suzaku asked him as he buckled himself in. Lloyd didn't use that emergency cockpit button unless there was a good reason to.

"I recommend readying yourself for battle, Mr. Kururugi." Lloyd said as he heard the distinct whistle of artillery fire fly overhead. "Because I think we're being attacked!" Right on que, a massive explosion came from the caboose of the train, as well as a hailstorm of gunfire.

"Lord Asplund!" He heard Princess Cornelia say as the train started to shake. "What's going on?" Before he could answer that question, a stray bullet shot past him and tore right through his transmitter.

"Well then, I guess that's the end of that." He thought as a group of unidentified knightmares drove up to the side of the train, with several heading for the royal cabin. "Eh... she'll figure it out." Right before his body was turned into Swiss cheese, Lloyd dived under a nearby tank and waved for Suzaku to start up the Lancelot. Without even waiting for confirmation, the boy nodded and put the key in the ignition. "I'm sure you know what to do Suzaku. Please, remember that the princess is on board, so do try to be careful." He told Suzaku on Cécile's transmitter.

"Yes, my Lord!" He called out as the Lancelot came to life. Before the assailants had a chance to react, Suzaku threw off the tarp that covered the Lancelot and dived into battle. "I'll have to make this quick." He thought as the Tokyo Settlement came back into view. Unless he wanted to get innocent people caught in the crossfire, he had to finish this battle quickly. "Alright!" With that, he activated his main boosters, and threw himself off of the train.

* * *

"What in God's name was that?!" Allen thought as the bowl of chips he was holding came crashing down to the ground. After his shower, he decided to do a bit of studying in modern world history. However, right when he got comfortable, several explosions went off in the distance. Without a moments hesitation, he turned on the news and walked out onto the balcony. "Is that... gunfire?" He thought as he strained his ears to listen. Like firecrackers on new year's day, several shots rang through the air.

"Hmm... did you drop something?" He heard Ikuko say from the master bedroom. The girl was still half-asleep, and was practically sleepwalking. The shaking from the explosions must have woken her up.

"No, no, it's just the news. Why don't you get back to bed?" Allen said as Ikuko nodded and closed the door behind her.

"Damn... what could that be?" He thought as he squeezed his left hand and bit his lip. It wasn't in his nature to be a bystander when trouble was brewing. "Should I go see what's going on?" He thought as he hesitatingly looked at his hands. However, after only a few seconds, he shook his head and looked up. "God! What's gotten into me?! Of course I'm going!" Before he even realized what he was doing, Allen grabbed his coat and headed for the front door. But, just before he opened it, he turned around and headed for the kitchen. "I doubt I'm even going to use these..." he thought as he bent over and picked up the blades that he had hidden. "Ouch!" In his haste to equip the weapons, he accidentally cut his right hand. Of course, the wound healed nearly instantly, but not before a small puddle of crimson blood managed to ooze out of the injury. "I'll have to clean that when I get back." He thought as he turned around and headed for the door. "Ikuko, are you asleep?" He whispered as he gently knocked on the master bedroom door. When he didn't hear a response, he smiled, and headed out into the hallway. Suddenly, silence once again overtook the apartment. With the only sounds being, besides Ikuko's snores, the distant gunfire and quiet static from the television. As moonlight peaked through the clouds overhead, the small puddle of blood Allen left behind started to change hue, from a healthy red, to a dark shadowy black.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey guys, welcome back to another one of my notes! I hope you all found this long chapter to be quite the pleasant surprise! And I hope it'll be able to tide you over for the next few weeks while I work on my other stories! Anyway, scheduling aside, I hope you guys can now truly see how serious I am about this story (I've never written this much in the span of one month for a FF before, so yeah...). **

**So, for the pairing, here are the totals:**

**C.C. - 5 votes**

**Kallen - 5 votes**

**Nunnally - 2 votes**

**Milly - 3 votes**

**Euphemia - 3 votes**

**Miya - 2 votes**

**No Pairing - 4 votes**

**As you can probably see, the totals are pretty much even (I honestly thought it'd be overwhelmingly one girl over the others, but I guess I'm wrong.) Anyways, like I said before, I'll let the votes keep coming in until chapter 11 releases. Do know that if the votes stay like this, I'm just going to go with no pairing for now. In that case, later in the story, I may change it but that way I can keep the most people happy.**

**And yeah, speaking of voting, thank you all so much for all of the reviews and feedback! I'm honestly shocked with how much support this thing is getting after only being out for just a few weeks. (300+ visitors in just one week! That's a new record for me!) So yeah, thank you all for the support and reviews. Cause that's what really keeps me going.**

**Either way, I hope you all have a fantastic day. If you want to leave me some feedback, hey, maybe drop a review. If you're reading the WM or BE I'll see you then (cause they're what's next on my schedule.) But, until then, you all have a good week or so. And I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!  
**

**Chapter 9: ****Saint**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys I'm back with another chapter, I've don't got much to say here. So, after I show you guys the results of the votes, I'm just going to jump straight into it! A lot of people sent me PMs for their votes (and I mean a lot, like, thanks for the support!) and here are the results so far:**

**C.C. - 22**

**Kallen - 16**

**Milly - 25**

**Shirley - 13**

**Etc. - 8**

**No pairing - 23**

**As of the time writing, I've got to say that I'm shocked characters who don't really have much of an impact on the main show are getting so much love here! I'm not sure why this is, but hey, that doesn't really matter, now does it? Also, recently, do to the relatively large amount of people voting "no pairing" even if I do add a pairing in, do know that IT WILL NOT BE THE MAIN STORY FOCUS. Like, if there is an Allenxsomeone in this story, it'll be more of a side thing (as I'm sure all of you guys expect.) After all, if you couldn't tell already, I've already got a plan on where exactly I want this story to go. So, without further adieu, let's cut this introduction off and get right into it! I hope you guys enjoy it, cause this is the first of the many summer chapters I'll be adding to this story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Saint**

Gunfire filled the air as Kallen swooped down and took out another pair of knightmares. As artillery shells shot past her cockpit, she bit her lip and braced herself for impact. The force of the explosions rocked her body and slammed her head against the back of her chair. In that small opening, another group of Britannians charged towards her, their blades hungrily waiting to dig into her Guren's metal hide.

"We've got you now, Black Knight scum!" One of the soldiers yelled as he lunged towards her. Without breaking a sweat, Kallen effortlessly leaned back and throttled the gas pedal. Instantly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, her Guren's legs collapsed, causing the massive knightmare to come tumbling down towards the ground. "What?!" She heard the soldier frantically scream out as his blade harmlessly passed over her head. Not giving them a moments rest, the Black Knight's ace grinned and pressed her thumb hard into the Guren's main control wheel.

"Take this, you Britannian bastard!" She yelled as she activated her knightmare's Radiant Wave Surger. In seconds, the assaulting knightmare was reduced to a pile of ash and rubble. The explosion the attack caused knocked a cloud of dust into the air, creating a wall of fog between her and the rest of the soldiers. As the smoke steadily rouse up into the night sky, Kallen sighed and cracked her knuckles.

"I'm assuming that explosion just now was your doing?" She heard Sugiyama say as the radio crackled to life. In the background, she could hear the faint sound of bullets clinking against the man's knightmare.

"Yeah..." Kallen started as an empty casing from the Radiant Wave Surger fell unceremoniously onto the ground. "There are still a couple knightmares over here, after I take them out, I'll head over to where you and Inoue are." As she spoke, Kallen listened as her Guren groaned and creaked as a new shell was loaded into her weapon. The second it was ready, she flung herself out of the cloud of dust and back into the fray. As expected, multiple knightmares were waiting for her. If it wasn't for her quick reflexes, the Gurren's protective layer would've been ripped to shreds by their armor-piercing rounds. The soldiers kept on firing until their magazines were spent, and when she heard the satisfying _click _of their empty barrels, she smiled and pounced. "Take this!" She screamed as she sent her knightmare's claw-like arm rocketing into the nearest soldier's cockpit. Like a hot knife through butter, her Guren smashed through the knightmare's hull, causing a hail of glass and debris to be strewn across the battlefield.

"Dammit! It got Freud!" Another soldier yelped as Kallen moved on to her next target. It took her Gurren mere moments to tear through the wall of steel and iron. By the time her claw finally wrapped around the commanding officer's knightmare, the ground was completely covered in a thick layer of oil and bent metal.

"That was the last one..." she thought as she let out a sigh and stared at her Gurren's monitor. "Hey, Sugiyama, how're things looking over at your end?" She asked the man as she watched explosions fill the night sky. As if to answer her question, a massive shockwave came from the front of the train, sending the hulking metal transport to a sudden stop. As soon as the shaking stopped, her radio crackled to life, and Zero's voice came through.

"Black Knights, from here on out regroup and head towards the target. Those in the vanguard hurry to the front of the train, that's where the enemy's main force will be." As quickly as his voice appeared, it vanished, causing an uneasy wave of silence to wash over Kallen's cockpit.

"Hmm..." she thought as she nervously bit her right thumbnail. "I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about this." Ever since the fighting started, a sense of dread had been hanging over her like a swarm of locusts. "Oh, don't worry about that now!" She said as she gently slapped the sides of her cheeks. "Right now you just need to focus on following Zero's orders. If you do that, then everything will be okay." With a new look of determination blazing in her eyes, Kallen turned the Guren around and headed towards the front of the train. Eventually, she joined up with Sugiyama, Inoue, and the rest of the main force.

"Ah, good, you're back." Kallen heard Inoue say over the crackling intercom. "Somebody go and notify Zero! Also, does anyone know when Diethard is going to make his statement? If we want this plan to work he'll have to start the broadcast soon." As she spoke, Kallen watched as several platoons of knightmares circled around her and the rest of the vanguard, forming a perimeter.

"Is there something we should be worried about?" She asked them over the radio as her eyebrows narrowed. In response, the speaker crackled to life, and Zero's voice came through.

"Some of our scouts reported a strange white knightmare near the back of the transport. Immediately after the initial assault, they went in to see if they could neutralize it. They haven't reported back since then." The Black Knight's leader said as Kallen gritted her teeth together. That could only mean one thing.

"It appears that my old student is here." She heard Tohdoh say over the intercoms as he and the Four Holy Swords emerged out of the forest. "That boy always had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Zero, I recommend that we allocate more troops to the rearguard. When Kururugi starts his attack, we'll have to be ready."

"I agree with you, Tohdoh. Sugiyama, Inoue, you two leave the front and assume battle formation Theta Sigma. If either one of you spot Kururugi, try to surround him and push him back. Focus on delaying his movements, this isn't an assassination mission." If all went according to plan, infecting the sakuradite fuel would only take a few minutes. And with their numbers and overwhelming tactical advantage, Suzaku wouldn't be able to stop them, the boy was only human, after all.

"Roger that." Kallen heard Sugiyama say as the man drove his knightmare to the back of the group. Once they were all in formation, Zero gave the command to commence the final phase of the operation. Like a colony of ants, Kallen and the rest of the knights swiftly moved up towards the front of the train. Those in the rearguard hung a few hundred meters back from the main group, and had their weapons drawn in case an enemy emerged out of the dark forest. Every so often, Kallen could hear the distant sound of gunfire erupting from that dense wall of trees.

"That's probably Suzaku's doing..." she thought as she watched their scouts identification signals start to go out.

"Guys, my radar is picking up something, brace for impact!" Inoue yelled as shockwaves from numerous nearby explosions rocked their formation. In an effort to distract the Britannians main force, the Black Knights' leader had deployed several knightmare companies into the surrounding area. The strategy was a reliable one, however, it was also risky. Since there were only a few units tasked with distracting the Britannian's main force, all it would take for the plan to crumble would be one well-timed shot. To minimize this risk, Lelouch made sure to give the mission to only their best scouts.

"As I expected, all of my pieces are still on the board..." Lelouch thought as his lips curled into a smug grin. Since the operation began, not a single unit on the distraction team had been taken out. Like a swarm of flies, they danced around the Britannian soldiers with relative ease. "When fighting in wooded areas like these, the Britannians large numbers become their greatest weakness." Even though the scouts he assigned were grossly outnumbered, the Britannians tendency to prefer a dense soldier layout provided them with ample opportunities to strike. However, even with all of their carefully-calculated advantages, that didn't mean that everything went perfectly according to plan.

"Zero! We've got a problem!" He heard one of the scouts say as a large explosion shook the area. Immediately afterwards, about a mile to the west, Lelouch watched as a gigantic pillar of black smoke billowed up into the air. "An unidentified knightmare just took out one of our support teams and is heading this way!"

"That must be Suzaku…" Lelouch thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose and pressed a small button on his knightmare's dashboard. "Kallen, Tohdoh, we've got company. I'm sure you can guess who it is." Immediately after those words left his lips, another large plume of fire exploded out of the forest, completely enveloping Lelouch and the nearby soldiers in its burning grasp. "Tch! He's not giving us a moment to think!" He yelled as he watched Suzaku's Lancelot bolt out of the cloud of smoke.

"It's Kururugi! Quickly! Get into formation and surround him!" One of the privates yelled as he, and several other glory hunting rookies, rushed to take down the infamous knightmare pilot. However, in the blink of an eye, the Lancelot tore each and every one of them to pieces. It took only twenty seconds for Suzaku to deal with them all, and by the time the rookies cockpits ejected into the sky, most of their knightmares were completely destroyed.

"Tch… he's gotten better." Lelouch thought as his front teeth dug into his bottom lip. As a small trickle of blood seeped onto his tongue from the fresh wound he had made; the leader of the Black Knights sighed and manually moved his knightmare to the front of the formation. "Tohdoh, have any of our reserve teams reported back yet?" He asked the leader of the Four Holy Swords.

"No... their radios have been silent for the past fifteen minutes. I'm guessing that's my old student's doing." When Lelouch heard that, he frowned and furrowed his brow. Casualties were always going to be a problem in battle, and he was prepared for that, however, he was never one-hundred percent certain on how the others would handle it. Tamaki, in particular, became a loose cannon whenever someone he knew paid the ultimate price. In chess, a pawn or a rook wouldn't care if one of its brothers or sisters was taken, but, in reality, the wrong person dying could lead to the entire army taking a vital hit in morale. A good example of such a valued soldier would be Kallen, if she died, he had no idea what Ohgi and the others would do. If he had to hazard a guess, their actions would probably become a lot more erratic. Just like how Suzaku was acting right now. "Our initial assault must've done more than I thought..." it was hard to see in the dark, but there were several pieces of bent purple metal strewn across the surrounding area, most likely belonging to destroyed Britannian knightmares. Not only that, but, with every passing moment, Suzaku's attacks became stronger, quicker, and more predictable. "When it came to protecting someone, you always were the spitting image of a shining, yet feral, knight." When they were kids, Suzaku would go to similar extremes to protect him and Nunnally.

"Zero, should we send a few troops to search for any injured?" Inoue asked him as bullets whizzed past his cockpit, some of the Britannian's main force must've gotten through. Not wasting a moment, Lelouch turned his knightmare towards the forest and fired the entirety of his magazine into the wall of trees. He didn't hit anything, but it was enough to delay the Britannians advance.

"No, we can't afford to send in more troops, not when we're so close." Lelouch said, refusing Inoue's call for aid. "Besides, they're all equipped with Rakshata's emergency vests. So, unless they get themselves captured, they should be fine." That was a lie, Lelouch knew that Rakshata wasn't a miracle worker. If the damage was great enough, nothing could save those men and women, even with all of their safety precautions. However, at the moment, what they needed to focus on was the mission. If they got sidetracked trying to save people that may already be dead, they could risk losing everything. However, he knew that paltry excuse wouldn't be enough to sway Inoue and Sugiyama. "Attention all Black Knights, after we achieve our objective, we'll begin an emergency rescue mission for our missing comrades, understand?" When he said that, he heard a noticeable sigh of relief coming from Kallen's radio.

"I hear you loud and clear, Zero!" She yelled as she charged towards Suzaku. As the two knightmares crossed blades, Lelouch input a few commands into his console and brought up his radar, which displayed the signals of each and every one of his troops. The fallen soldiers that Inoue was talking about were nearly two kilometers away, and their signals were fading fast.

"Hmm... some stray bullets must've damaged their mapping systems." Yet again, Lelouch bit his lip. As much as he hated to say it, he'd probably have to abandon these soldiers to meet his goals. All of them were probably dead, or dying, anyway. "I may have lost some pawns, but the battle is still going in my favor." Now wasn't the time for him to hesitate. So, with a fiery determination filling his eyes, he leaned back and spoke into his microphone. "All units, charge! It's time for us to finish this!" He'd pay those fallen soldiers back with a pile of Britannian corpses. As the sound of gunfire once again filled the night sky, Lelouch and the platoon that was with him charged towards the front of the train. While the battle raged on, no one noticed as a shadowy figure flew over their heads, rocketing towards the large plumes of smoke that were filling the woods.

* * *

The stench of burnt metal and flesh filled Allen's nostrils as he landed in the middle of the blazing inferno. He could feel his lungs start to fry with every breath he took, if it wasn't for his healing factor, he would've passed out already. As the fire licked greedily at his clothes, Allen crouched down, and started to look for any survivors. Like a moth to a bright light, he instantly identified four fallen bodies, and started the arduous task of dragging them out of their knightmares. "You guys sure did a number to this place." He mumbled as he hoisted one of the soldiers up onto his right shoulder. As he did this, he stared at some of the gigantic weapons that were still stuck in the knightmares hands and frowned. "These cannons... they almost look like the ones that were used by akuma." They were certainly large enough to be considered as such.

"Ugh... Zero..." Allen heard another soldier say as she lay unconscious next to a deer's burning body. Across her stomach was a massive gash that was spewing out blood, and she appeared to have a serious concussion. Not wasting a moment, Allen leaned over and gently picked the woman up before bolting out of the burning forest. On his back he carried a total of six people, all of them critically injured.

"I'm going to have to get these guys to a safe spot..." there was no way that any of them could make it to a hospital, their injuries were simply too severe. Hell, it was a miracle that none of them had died by the time he reached them. "Don't worry..." he mumbled as he stared at the Black Knight and Britannian sigils sewn onto their uniforms, "I'll get you back to your comrades, I promise." After about a minute of running, he finally made it out of the burning forest, and started looking for a place to house the injured soldiers he was carrying. It didn't take him long to find a small cave to setup his makeshift clinic in. Five minutes later, he had all six of the injured soldiers lying peacefully on the ground. "Now then, what do I do?" He wasn't particularly skilled in first aid or medicine. In fact, if he tried to heal them via traditional methods, there was a good chance that he'd actually end up doing more harm than good. "I guess... I can always use my left arm." He thought as he stared at his deformed appendage. "I mean, all I needed to do to heal Ikuko's injuries was just touch her, so maybe..." acting on instinct, Allen took off his left glove and lightly pressed his palm against one of the injured Black Knights forehead. Like with Ikuko, a faint light started to radiate off of the soldier's flesh, and then their injuries started to fade away.

"Watch out! One of those Britannian knightmares is firing heavy artillery!" He heard the distant voice of a Black Knight yell right before a tremor shook the cave he was in. Dust and specks of dirt fell off of the ceiling and right into the soldiers wounds. Thank God they were all unconscious, or else he was certain that they'd all be screaming out in pain.

"Okay, I guess it's your turn next." Allen mumbled as he turned to his next patient, a man in his early thirties, and wiped some sweat off of his brow. "You Britannians should really thank the people who design your suits, if it wasn't for them expanding and blocking your wounds, you'd have bled out by now." After taking a moment to make sure the man's head was elevated, Allen pressed his exposed left hand against the soldier's bicep, healing the Britannian's wounds. From there he turned his focus to healing the other four, and soon all of them were resting peacefully. Being careful not to disturb their slumber, Allen moved all of them to the leftmost edge of the cave, and then headed out to find more survivors. The main battle had moved up towards the front of the train, away from him and the others. "Good, now I have more room to move around." Of course, the longer this conflict raged on, the more casualties there would be. If he wanted to avoid unnecessary deaths, he'd have to work fast. "Hopefully, this will come in handy." He mumbled to himself as he took out a portable radar, which he had borrowed from one of the unconscious soldiers, and frowned. There were multiple fading signals scattered throughout the entire area, far more than he initially expected. "These idiots sure love shooting at each other," he thought with a sigh. With that, he slipped the radar back into his pocket, and rushed towards the nearest signal.

Thanks to the multiple walls of fire and smoke, Allen had to make quite a few detours before he finally arrived at his destination. The place the radar had led him to was a large clearing, which was completely littered with the charred remains of multiple knightmares and dying soldiers. The signal itself was coming from one of the few knightmares that was still mostly intact. Its legs had been completely torn to shreds by artillery, and was leaning against a nearby cliff face. The cockpit was hanging crookedly out of the back of the machine, its emergency parachutes having fired prematurely into a nearby tree. The wind was carrying the hot smoke from the fires directly into the main cabin, if he didn't do anything, the knightmare's pilot would soon suffocate. "Ouch, that stings!" Allen cried out as he swiftly clambered up the side of the giant machine, its metal armor scorching hot thanks to the smoke. Once he made it to the cockpit, he dug his fingers into the steel roof of the chamber, which had been knocked loose during the battle, and ripped it off. As he expected, the interior of the cockpit was completely full of smoke. The pilot, who was clearly unconscious, was covered in serious burns and multiple lacerations. "His injuries are too severe for me to risk carrying him back to the cave like this, I'll have to heal him now." Allen thought as he reached down into the cockpit and grabbed the man's belt. However, something was holding the soldier down, preventing him from being able to remove the man from the smoke-filled chamber. After waving some of the smoke out of the way, Allen discovered that the cause of this little snag was a large iron rod, which had driven itself through the soldier's leg, literally nailing the man to his seat.

The top end of the rod was twisted and bent, so simply lifting the man up to remove it wasn't an option. If he wanted to save him, Allen would either have to safely amputate the soldier's leg, or find a way to remove the top portion of the rod. Obviously, he went with the latter of the two options, and thankfully, he had the tools to accomplish such a task. With a flick of his wrists, he activated the blades he had hidden in his sleeves, causing them to come shooting out in one fluid motion. "Thanks Link..." he thought as he swiftly slashed at the top of the rod, splitting it in two. With that done, he easily lifted the pilot out of his seat and carried him down to the ground. Being careful not to cut the man, he retracted his blades, and pressed his left hand against the pilot's back. Just like the rest, his wounds were soon healed, and his breathing returned to normal. "Thank God..." for a second there, he thought he was too late. "I guess I should carry him and the rest back to the cave." Allen mumbled to himself as he looked around the clearing, there had to be at least thirty people there. Most of them were already on death's door, however, if he was quick, he could get them all back to the cave before they succumbed to their injuries. Of course, he could just heal them now, but that would waste valuable time that he didn't have. The clearing they were in was slowly starting to fill with heated smoke, and if he wanted to make sure that he had enough time to get to every one of the soldiers, he'd have to move them all to a cooler area first. However, before he could get started on relocating the injured, he felt a sudden twinge of pain shoot through his forehead. "Ow!" He cried out as the searing pain forced him down to his knees, however, as quickly as it appeared, the migraine vanished. Sadly, since Allen only had one pair of eyes, he didn't notice as a few wisps of dark purple energy wafted out of his back and up into the air. Like the headache, the strange energy disappeared after only a few seconds, Allen completely unaware of its presence. "I guess I must've inhaled too much smoke..." he thought as he tried to rationalize what had just happened to him. Sadly, he didn't get any time to ponder over his mysterious headache, as the sound of artillery fire was starting to get uncomfortably close. "Tch, I need to move these guys now!" With that, Allen pushed his personal health to the back of his mind, and rushed to start moving the injured soldiers. For him, this long night had only just begun.

* * *

Lelouch tapped his dashboard as he watched his troops rush to push back Suzaku and the Britannians main force. In the chaos, he had a few soldiers sneak past the remaining guards and complete their objective. Now the only issue was getting out. Some of Cornelia's personal troops had joined the fray, and they were putting up a defense that was proving to be a rather tough nut to crack. "Hmm... we might be spending a bit more time here than I expected, but it doesn't matter." The sakuradite fuel had been infected, now it was simply a matter of patience.

"Zero, our right flank is being pushed back, do you want us to act as support?" Tohdoh asked him as Kallen impaled one of the assaulting knightmares, its cockpit rocketing off into the distance. After taking a few moments to think, Lelouch nodded and lifted his microphone up to his mouth.

"Go ahead, but stay vigilant and be ready to move at my command." With that, the Four Holy Swords bolted past him, and immediately started to tear into the Britannians vanguard. As chunks of metal flew through the air, Lelouch stared at his radar and sighed.

"I should probably get started on my statement..." he thought as he frustratingly rubbed his temples. He had lost a few more men than he initially anticipated, and he was certain that Ohgi and the rest would want him to notify the dead's families. "I guess I can make a public statement in their honor, that should be enough to satisfy them." He'd have Diethard write up a rough draft later. "It's the little things like this that are always the hardest, aren't they, my dear sister?" Cornelia was probably experiencing the exact same dilemma right now. After all, someone had to answer for all of these casualties. "Knowing her, she's probably going to pin all of the blame on me and the Black Knights, and when she does, I'll be ready with my statement." Cornelia was a warrior, when it came to subtleties like this, she might as well be a fish drowning on dry land. "Inoue, as soon as you are able send out a search party. We'll try to save as many as we can." He said as he stared out of his knightmare's window, at this point, he was certain that all of those people were dead. But he definitely couldn't say that over the radio. Zero was a symbol of hope and justice, after all. With that, Lelouch leaned back into his chair, and closed his eyes. From here the battle would unfold exactly as he'd predicted, well... for the most part.

"Z-Zero!" Lelouch's eyelids shot open when he heard Inoue's panicked voice come out of his radio. "The missing soldiers! Their signals have come back!" When he heard that, Lelouch raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes. Each and every one of his troops was equipped with a personal locator, so them suddenly appearing on the radar wasn't all that strange. However, when he finally looked at his own radar, he couldn't help but gasp. As something very strange had indeed happened.

"Why are they all in one place?!" He thought as he stared at his knightmare's display. Near the northern edge of the forest, all of his missing troops were located in the exact same area. But that wasn't the most confusing part, for, if his intel was correct, they weren't alone. "And why are Britannian soldiers there?!"

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey guys I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! With summer rolling in, and the huge chapter I got out last month in my other -man story, I'm planning on putting this one on as my main focus for the time being. For my other readers, I hope you guys will support this decision, as we're finally getting into the interesting part of this story. Anyways, before I close this off, I have some things I want to tell you all, as well as a few questions.**

**First off, for the pairings, do know that I'm reading your votes. If you don't know, I'm going to stop the voting by the time the 10th chapter comes out! So, get your votes in if you do/don't want a pairing!**

**And finally, for the question, I want to know what you guys think about Ikuko. It's my first time writing a character that's like her, so I'm really interested to hear what you guys think! Anyways, that's all for me. So, without further delay, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**Chapter**** 10: Butterfly**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone, as I said before this story is being put on the express lane, so expect more quick chapters like this throughout the summer! Anyway, before I get into the chapter, allow me to thank each and every one of you for voting. Like I said before, the polls close with the release of this chapter (of course, if you have a recommendation, you can still tell me in a review. After all, it's not like I'm going to dive into this stuff immediately.) so now we can get started on the meat of this story.**

**As for the results, I've decided to keep that secret. After all, what would be the fun in romance if all of you already know who Allen's going to end up with (or maybe there won't be any romance at all! It seriously just depends on the voting results) however, for those of you who really want to find out who won, the review section vote totals are quite close to the final results. So, with that out of the way, I'm going to close off this introduction.**

**So please, pull up a chair, grab some tea, and let's get on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CG or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Butterfly**

For the first time since they started their assault on Cornelia's transport, the sound of gunfire finally stopped. With their objective achieved, Zero ordered a hasty retreat from the battlefield. However, their operation wasn't over yet. "Inoue, do you think the radar is busted?" Kallen asked her comrade as she, and the rest of the Black Knights, hurried towards the northern end of the forest. Just a few minutes ago, their radar picked up a large body of signals. All from comrades that they thought were either dead, or too injured to move. Plus, to make matters worse, they were also picking up an equal amount of enemy signals sat right next to their comrades. "This entire situation is bizarre..." Kallen mumbled as she held down her knightmare's accelerator.

"This is the first time I've heard Zero so shocked." Tamaki's voice said over their shaky intercom system. His knightmare had been hit by quite a few Britannian ambushes, and his communication systems were damaged. "Do you really think it's that surprising that our comrades made it out?" Kallen sighed, this was one of those situations where she didn't know what to think. Their leader's mind was complex, so, in situations like these, it really was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Until I see their bodies, I refuse to believe they're dead." Kallen said as her lips curled into a frown. Somebody in this team had to be the optimist, however, that didn't mean she actually meant what she said. In reality, she was almost certain that they were rushing towards a pile of corpses. However, until they got there, none of them knew exactly what they'd find.

"Tohdoh, how's our back flank?" She heard Zero say over the intercom, his voice gaining a subtle edge to it.

"It's clear for now. The Britannians are probably holding back and waiting to see what we find." In a situation like this, where neither side knew what they were walking into, choosing to wait was often a successful strategy. Even if their soldiers lives were on the line, Cornelia wouldn't dare risk a frontal assault. Especially when none of them knew if said soldiers were alive or dead. Basically, they were holding back and waiting for them to prod the hornets nest.

"Damn cowards, if there's even a chance that their comrades are alive they should be rushing to take advantage of it." Sugiyama quipped in as they neared the source of the multiple signals. "Ah hell..." the man said as Kallen heard him start to cough and wheeze, "everyone close your air vents, this area is full of smoke." Immediately after he said that, Kallen instantly pressed a large button on the leftmost side of her dashboard, completely sealing off her cabin.

"I probably only have an hour's worth of oxygen before I have to reopen the hatch..." Kallen thought as her eyebrows narrowed, luckily, she was certain that they wouldn't be here that long. The wildfire which had started only forty minutes ago had spread to their nearby surroundings, covering every living thing in a thick blanket of flame. "How in the world did they escape from that?" For their missing soldiers to have made it from the center of a blazing forest all the way to here was incredible. No... it wasn't incredible... it was simply inhuman. "With their gear, they couldn't have made it this far, not through a fire that dense." They would've been burned to ashes halfway through. "Unless an angel came down and carried them, I can't think of anyway they could've made it out." And, of course, angels didn't exist. So how did these injured soldiers make it all the way here, far on the other side of the forest? Sadly, she wouldn't get her answer that day. As, for now, all of her focus was spent on locating her missing comrades.

"Where in God's name are they?" Tamaki said as he thoroughly looked over their surroundings. "All I see are trees and bushes." The area they were in might've been mountainous, but thanks to their knightmares, they were easily high enough to be able to survey each and every hill. However, no matter how hard they looked, none of them could locate their missing comrades, or their transmitters.

"According to their signals, I should be right on top of them..." Tohdoh said as he stared at his radar. "Zero, do you think the Britannians are messing with our radar?" He asked the Black Knights' leader.

"No, if they were, we'd know. Plus, I've had Rakshata prepare multiple backups in case they tried to pull something like that." Unless the Britannians came up with some new type of jamming technology, their radars should've been accurate. However, at the moment, it appeared that they were leading them to a dead end. "But that's impossible..." Lelouch thought as he scratched his chin. "If we can't see them, that means that the signals are either coming from above us, which would've been obvious, or, they're coming from below..." The second he finished that line of thought, Lelouch's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "That's it!" He said as he snapped his fingers and turned on his intercom. "Tohdoh! Kallen! The signals must be coming from a nearby cave!" Lelouch said, complete with a smug grin. "This area has multiple cave systems, but none of them are very large. However, there is one cave capable of holding a large group of people..." he mumbled as he brought up a geological map of the area on his knightmare's display, "...and it's right beneath us!"

"They're in a cave?" Tamaki said, clearly confused, as he knightmare slowly looked at the ground. Suddenly, he gasped, and turned his knightmare around to survey the small hill they were all standing on. With Lelouch's information, he was able to find an entrance to said cave in just a few minutes. "Hey guys, come check this out, I think I might've found it!" As he yelled into his intercom, Tamaki opened the door to his cockpit, and jumped down to the ground.

"Tamaki!" Inoue and Sugiyama both yelped as, they too, got out of their cockpits to stop the man. Even though the operation was technically over, they were still surrounded by Britannians. If any of them weren't in their knightmares when the bullets started flying, their bodies would be ripped to shreds.

"Stop, you'll get yourself killed!" Kallen joined in as she immediately swerved her Guren in front of her comrades, if the Britannians open fired, she'd act as a shield. However, amidst all this chaos, Tamaki remained silent. Instead, he simply stood in front of the cave's entrance, absent-mindedly staring into its gaping abyss.

"Dumbass... what did you do that for?" Sugiyama said as he jogged up to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was going to scold him for his idiocy, however, when he saw what Tamaki was looking at, all he could do was stare with his mouth hung open. "Zero, you might want to come and see this." Sugiyama whispered into his transmitter as he walked into the cave, causing both Lelouch and Kallen to raise a confused eyebrow.

"Sugiyama too? What's gotten into them?" Lelouch wondered as he ordered the rest of the soldiers to form a perimeter. Now, if the Britannians tried anything, they'd have enough time to rush back to their knightmares. As he slipped on his mask and got out of his knightmare, Lelouch frowned as he tried to think what could've shocked Tamaki and Sugiyama so much. Kallen, who by this point was also very curious, slipped on her helmet and joined Zero near the front of the cave.

"Zero, Tamaki, Sugiyama, what's wrong?" She started as she walked up to the three men, it was then that she finally saw what they were all looking at. "Holy..." she was at a loss for words.

"I guess now we know why there were all those Britannian signals." Sugiyama said as he walked deeper into the cave, which was filled to the brim with their sleeping comrades, and enemies. As carefully as he could possibly be, he took out a flashlight and shone it on the nearest person, who, if his uniform was anything to go by, was one of their newest recruits. "He's alive..." Sugiyama mumbled as he pressed his fingers against the recruit's neck, checking for a pulse. Immediately after that, he went to the next person and checked their vitals. "This one's also perfectly fine, what the hell?" Normally, he'd be unbelievably happy to find his comrades alive and well, however, this situation was simply too bizarre.

"All of their suits emergency air bags have been triggered, and most of them appear to have suffered serious burns." Inoue mumbled as she inspected one of the Britannians sleeping captains. In total, there were about two hundred people lying peacefully in this cave, and all of their suits had suffered major damage. Some of their recruits uniforms had been reduced to mere cinders, however, they themselves were perfectly fine.

"One of the supporting rods must've broken off and ran this guy through..." Sugiyama mumbled as he picked up a small iron rod, which had been cut in half, that was lying next to one of the unconscious soldiers. Said soldier's suit had been torn to shreds, however, there was a very noticeable entrance and exit hole on either side of the man's uniform. It was obvious that someone had removed the rod, but, much to Sugiyama's bewilderment, there was no wound. Hell, there wasn't a single scratch on the man's body!

"This is definitely unnatural..." Lelouch thought as he inspected some of the Britannians. Just like the others, none of them were injured in the slightest. Now, at this point, he'd normally just chalk all of this up to unbelievable luck. After all, it was technically possible to make it out of the battle unscathed. However, resting upon one of the Britannian soldiers was something that made him want to dig deeper. "This sergeant has had stitches recently..." Lelouch mumbled as he waved for Kallen and the others to come and take a look. Once they were all standing next to him, he pulled up the soldier's sleeve for them to get a better look. "These are standard hospital sutures, field medics don't carry them. Before he got deployed, this sergeant must've injured his arm somehow, to the point that he required medical attention. Such a wound would've left a scar, or, at least, some discoloration in the affected flesh. However..." as he spoke, Lelouch reached down and lightly tugged at one of the stiches, instantly causing the entire weave to unravel.

"That's not normal..." Tamaki said, his eyes wide. The bottom part of the sutures had been completely removed, leaving only the top half resting above the man's flesh. There weren't any holes that were typical when removing such serious stitches, heck, from where they were standing, it seemed as if the man's bicep had simply healed itself.

"Maybe his wound healed before he was deployed?" Inoue suggested, but Lelouch shook his head. If that was the case, then the loose sutures would've fallen out during the battle. The only way they could've rested perfectly on the surface of his skin like that was if his wound was healed without removing the sutures. Which, of course, was impossible.

"Did we have anybody stationed in this area?" Lelouch asked them. "If we're lucky, somebody might've seen whoever did this." These soldiers weren't healed by ghosts, after all. "Judging by the sheer amount of bodies moved, the people responsible had to be a large group with motorized vehicles." The instant those words left Lelouch's mouth, Tamaki took out his transmitter and phoned their main base.

"Hey, this is Tamaki..." the man started as he slowly started to pace through the cave, "...yeah, Zero thinks something might've happened. Did you guys catch any unknown groups on the main radar?" His question was a simple one, however, after a few minutes, it was obvious that it wasn't one they had an answer for. "Tch…" he grumbled as he put his transmitter back in his pocket. "We had guys stationed at every road that led to this forest, if a large group like that came in, we'd know." When Lelouch heard that, he frowned and closed his eyes. The soldiers miraculous recovery aside, they were completely in the dark on who helped them. After a few minutes of thinking, the leader of the Black Knights sighed, and got up. At the moment, he didn't have enough information to draw any conclusions. No... what he needed to worry about now was getting these people to safety.

"Inoue, call Rakshata and have her send in a few transport helicopters. And make sure they're flying the fire department's colors. We don't want them getting shot down, after all." Once these men and women were out of this forest, he could finally end this stressful operation.

"What do you want to do with the Britannians?" Kallen asked him as she stared at some of the soldiers in disgust. After Inoue made the call, Lelouch got up, and answered her question.

"Just leave them here. Even if we wanted to take them hostage, we don't have enough space to house this many prisoners." Obviously, killing them was also off the table. They were supposed to be knights for equality and justice, not bringers of death. With his orders given, Kallen and the others nodded, and quickly set about completing their individual tasks. One by one, they climbed out of the cave, until Lelouch was the only one left. After checking to make sure that they were gone, Lelouch walked over to one of the Britannians, and forced the soldier's eyes open.

"Ugh... what is it?" The woman started, her voice still groggy from sleep. However, that grogginess quickly vanished when she realized who had woken her up. "Z-Zero?!" She yelped as she scrambled to ready her weapon. However, before she could grab it, Lelouch activated his geass.

"Tell me, what happened here? Who saved you? And what did they do?" If the woman knew anything, his geass would force her to divulge the information. Sadly, after giving his command, all she did was confusedly stare at him. "Hmm, so you don't know anything? Dammit... that's just great." Judging by her reaction, that probably meant that, whoever brought these soldiers here, did so while the soldiers were unconscious. Which meant that he wouldn't be getting any information from them, even if he used his geass. With that option now gone, Lelouch sighed, took out his pistol, and knocked the woman out. "I guess I'll just have to find out the old fashioned way..." he started as he walked out of the cave and stared up at the moon. For some reason, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was running in circles. "If there is a God, he must really love watching me dance." A new unknown piece had appeared on the board, and he didn't like that, not one bit.

* * *

**Allen**

Allen yawned as he heard his alarm start to ring and hopped off of the couch. Sunlight was pouring in from the balcony windows, illuminating the entire room in a pleasant yellow hue. "What a beautiful morning." He thought as he walked over to the dining room table, where he had a clean change of clothes waiting for him. After putting on his outfit, Allen scratched the back of his neck, headed into the kitchen, and started making his and Ikuko's breakfast for the day. Without even thinking about it, he scooped up his television's remote, which was resting on the kitchen's countertop, and turned it on. "So its finally made it to the media..." he thought as he watched the morning news start to play out.

"Just last night, Princess Cornelia's escort was assaulted by the Black Knights. According to military officials, and recent statements made by the terrorist cell, the purpose of the attack is believed to be related to the sakuradite fuel the Princess's escort was carrying. However, during the assault, the Britannian military was able to push back the terrorists, taking minimal casualties." Allen sighed as he picked up a nearby tea kettle and filled it full of water, unless he missed some people, there should've been no casualties whatsoever.

"I guess, as far as propaganda goes, saying that nobody died in a major conflict would still sound pretty suspicious." He also noticed that the media refrained from mentioning the Black Knights' casualties, but then again, that didn't surprise him. With a sigh, he got out a skillet and coated the bottom in a thin layer of butter. After that, he took the skillet and placed it on the stovetop, carefully watching the butter to tell him when he had reached the proper temperature. As he watched, he lifted up his arm and yawned into his hand. "That little excursion last night was tiring..." he thought as he took out some bacon and bell peppers from his refrigerator. The second he finished healing all of the injured soldiers, he rushed out of the forest and headed back to his apartment. Thankfully, nobody saw him, so he made a clean escape. Ikuko, of course, was still asleep by the time he got back. So, after cleaning up the blood he had spilled, he quietly cleaned himself off, and went straight to bed. "I wonder, has my blood always been that dark?" Since he didn't want to wake up Ikuko, he was forced to clean his little mess up in the dark. However, even though the room was pitch black, he could've sworn that something was wrong with his blood. "Eh whatever, I was probably just seeing things." Allen shrugged as he placed a few strips of diced bacon into the skillet. While they cooked, he got out another larger skillet, put it on the stovetop, and cracked some eggs into it. As the bacon crackled and popped, he got out a pair of plates and utensils and placed them on the dinner table. A few minutes later, the food was ready to be served. After dousing his meal with the contents of one of his nutrition pills, he walked over to the main bedroom, and knocked on the door. "Ikuko, are you dressed?" He said as he leaned up against the wall.

"Yeah, you can come in." She said, her voice positively brimming with cheer. Curious to find out why she was so happy, Allen smiled and opened the door. However, when he saw what the girl was doing, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"You're studying at this hour?" Allen asked her as he watched the girl pour over one of the beginner books he had given her. On the bedside table was a small pile of many similar books, all of them having bookmarks jutting out of their pages. Allen had no doubt in his mind that Ikuko had marked the tougher sections of each book, planning on coming back to them later. As he walked over and sat down next to her on the bed, he reached up and lightly tousled the girl's hair. "I'm happy that you're reading, but I'm sorry to say that you'll have to stop. C'mon, breakfast is ready."

"Okay~!" Ikuko said as she climbed out of bed and headed into the kitchen. As she did so, Allen smiled and looked up at the ceiling. It had only been a few days since Ikuko started living with him, but already she was making unbelievable progress. Her previously-malnourished body had completely rejuvenated to a healthier state, no doubt thanks to the nutrition supplements he had been giving her, and now she looked just like a normal schoolgirl, happy and full of life.

"She really does remind me of me..." Allen thought as he walked into the kitchen and watched Ikuko start to dig in. He chuckled when he noticed that the girl had hidden a book in her lap, and was carefully reading each page in between bites. "She's definitely a faster learner than I was." When he was at this stage, Mana had to practically force him to read anything. "Such excellent study ethics deserve a reward." Allen thought as he walked over to the fridge and checked the calendar. "Hmm..." he started with a smile, "it's the weekend now, so I guess I have the day off." The concept of time off was still kind of weird for him. When he was working as an exorcist, he spent every waking moment devoted to his assignments. "I guess I should just let her decide, she, more than anyone, deserves to have some fun." He thought as he turned to the girl in question and sat down at the table. "So, Ikuko, is there anything you want to do today?" When he asked that question, Ikuko just looked up at him and raised a confused eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" She mumbled as her eyes darted nervously back to her book. The concept of fun must've been foreign to her as well. When he realized that, Allen frowned and looked up at the ceiling.

"Yet another similarity between you and I..." he thought as he turned back to the girl and smiled. "As it happens, I don't have class today, and with how much you've been studying, I think that you deserve a break." For a brief second after he made his recommendation, Ikuko's eyes lit up like the night sky, however, they instantly darkened, and lost their shine.

"Do you mean you want us to go somewhere? As in... outside?" She mumbled as she nervously started to shake. When he realized what was happening, Allen instantly got up and placed a hand on Ikuko's shoulder, calming the girl down. With how much progress she was making, it was easy to forget that this was still the same girl who was repeatedly beaten by Britannians and left to fend for herself. Her fear of strangers was more than justified, in fact, it was engrained into her very being. If he truly wanted to help her, he'd have to slowly peel that fear away, just like how Mana did for himself back in the day.

"If you just want to spend your time here, I completely understand. However, if you want to go somewhere, I'm offering to take you. Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way." Obviously, they wouldn't be going anywhere with a lot of Britannians. For this process to truly begin, they'd have to start small, and work up from there. After a few minutes of thought, Ikuko finally looked back up at him, and broke the silence.

"You won't be mad at me, no matter where I choose to go?" She asked him. When she said that, Allen laughed, crouched down, and hugged her.

"There's nothing you can do that'll make me mad at you, Ikuko. I'll take you wherever you decide to go today, and that's a promise." What sort of gentleman would he be if he couldn't even do that much? His words seemed to work, as after he said them, Ikuko's mood noticeably improved.

"Do you mind if I think about it for a few minutes?" Ikuko mumbled as she nibbled on her bacon. Once again, Allen grinned, and nodded his head. With that, he walked back over to the other side of the table, and sat down. Over the course of their conversation, his food had gotten cold, but he didn't mind. Instead, he just started to eat, and turned his focus back to the daily news. The anchor was talking about the Black Knights' leader, Zero, and the public statement the terrorist cell made that morning. "The Black Knights..." Allen thought as he took a sip from his boiling hot tea. "I wonder, what are you all planning?" Whatever it was, he was certain that it wouldn't be good. "I've got a feeling that this town is going to get a lot more dangerous within the next few weeks." There was no doubt in his mind that he'd be hearing more about Zero, and the man's comrades, over the course of his stay in this city. "I'll need to make sure that Ikuko stays safe." He mumbled as he turned his focus back to the aforementioned girl, who was now simply reading away without a care in the world. "I promise, no matter what happens, I'll stay by your side." That was the path he had chosen, the one he was determined to keep above all else. He'd be a guiding light for those in need, but, for Ikuko, he'd be a shield. An unwavering protector. "Heh, I guess I really am taking after you, aren't I?" Allen mumbled as he stared out the balcony window at the cityscape below, "Mana."

* * *

The stench of the city Allen had grown accustomed to was now little more than a distant memory. As the train he and Ikuko were in rumbled and churned, he pursed his lips and looked out of the window. "Out of all of the places she could've picked, why did it have to be here?" Just outside the window, numerous falling buildings and piles of rubble dotted the landscape. Ikuko, who was sitting next to him, was just silently taking it all in. "Well, on the bright side, there aren't many Britannians here..." since the train they were on was heading for the slums, besides themselves, there were no other passengers on the train. According to the conductor, there'd usually be a couple of people returning home from work at this hour. However, thanks to the Black Knights most recent attack, everyone in the slums was trying to keep a low profile. Like a child prodding a bees nest, the Britannians had been agitated, and none of them wanted to risk exposing themselves to their wrath. "To think this was the place she once called home." He had heard stories about how bad it was, but actually seeing the sheer amount of destruction was shocking. None of the buildings were completely intact, and all of the towns consisted of nothing but small, shoddily-built houses, and a couple of fishing boats.

"We're nearly there!" Ikuko said as she hopped out of her seat. Allen had to admit, he was shocked by how excited the girl was. He could only imagine what could've gotten her so worked up.

"_Now arriving at Batafurai Station, attention all passengers, please make sure you have all belongings or bags on your person when exiting the train, and please, mind the gap._" The conductor's voice said as the train slowly came to a halt. Without a moment's delay, Ikuko hopped out of her seat and put on a large sun hat he had bought for her a few days ago.

"Come on Mr. Walker! We're nearly there!" She said as she hurried out of the train, Allen not far behind. The second he got off of the train, Allen heard a high-pitched cawing noise coming from the rafters above. There must've been a family of birds roosting somewhere. As the two of them made their way through the dilapidated platform, Allen frowned and clutched his chest.

"What in the world?" He thought as he felt his heart start beat like a drum, for some reason, he was getting excited. "Is it the change in atmosphere? Or maybe the location?" Allen mumbled as he surveyed the destruction which plagued the landscape. For reasons he couldn't understand, he saw a carnal beauty in the destroyed buildings that he hadn't noticed before. The joy he felt by simply seeing the rubble was almost too much to describe. In fact, it made him want to smile.

"Mr. Walker, are you coming?" Ikuko asked him as she hurried out of the station, too busy worrying about their destination to notice Allen's sudden change. While her back was turned, Allen lifted a hand up to his face and smiled. However, this grin was far from normal. In fact, it was monstrous. The ends of his lips curled all the way back to his earlobes. And his eyes momentarily became as black as night, so much so that they seemed to peer into the deepest depths of the human heart. Of course, since Allen wasn't looking into a mirror, he had no way of realizing this. At the moment, he thought he was just experiencing a sudden jolt of joy. When, in reality, it was something far more sinister. He only snapped out of this monstrous trance when Ikuko came rushing back into the station, clearly frustrated by how long he was taking. "Come on slowpoke!" She whined as she tugged at one of his sleeves.

"Whoops, sorry about that!" He mumbled as he embarrassingly scratched the back of his head. "I got sidetracked for a second there." Still without a clue in the world, Allen grinned and hurried after Ikuko. All the while completely unaware of the fact that the tiled ground he once stood upon had been reduced to a pile of dust. After a light breeze blew through the station, the particles were swept up by the wind, floating through the main lobby until finally landing upon a small nest hidden in the rafters above. The birds mother, who was unlucky enough to inhale some of the stray particles, started to hack and wheeze, gasping for life until its body finally went limp. After a few moments, the mother's body slowly started to crumble. Until, like the tiles below, only dust remained.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Bum! Bum! Buuuuum! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Cause I freaking loved writing it! For the first time in this story, Allen has visited the Japanese slums and is starting to see the true side of Britannia! I hope you guys enjoyed how I made it come across, cause I thought you'd all enjoy it! Anyways, if you can't tell, this is where this story really begins. All this has really been before now is just reintroducing the characters and getting everything setup for the main storyline, but now that we're here, I can finally start churning these bad boys out. So, I hope you all will enjoy it!**

**On the voting side of things, thank you all so much for all of your votes! I really, really, find them useful! Now, for the important part: Even though voting is over, that does not mean you can stop giving me recommendations. If you all have a good idea for this story, leave it for me in a review! Trust me, I read (and love) each and every single one, so if you leave a recommendation, it's very likely that I'll add it in later in the story. But, like I said, that's up to you guys.**

**P.S. More reviews is more good, it tells me that people are reading the story so, if you all want more chapters in this story sooner, leave this story a review and a rating!**

**Anyways, that's all for me, I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your day (or night, depending on where you are) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter of A New Dawn!  
**

**Chapter 11: Laugh**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello all and welcome back to my story! I want to keep this short, so let me just say thanks for all the support, and let's get on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CG or -man, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Laugh**

Even in a horrid place like the slums, there was still a few small pockets of light. As Ikuko led him around a fork in the road, Allen heard the distinct chime of children's laughter pouring from someplace nearby. "Ah, now I understand..." he thought as the two of them finally arrived at their destination, "she just wanted to play with her friends." Before him was a relatively large park, full of swings, playgrounds, seesaws, and other such do-dads and gizmos. Compared to the rest of the slums, this place was in a relatively good condition, and was packed to the brim with frolicking children and families. Of course, all of these people were Japanese, which was great because that meant that Ikuko wouldn't be scared of any of them. As she rushed towards the nearest open swing, several of the children noticed her, and when they did, their eyes started to sparkle.

"Hey, it's Ikuko!" One of the young boys said as he waved his hand in the air to get his buddies attention. His little wave worked, and soon every child on the playground knew Ikuko was there. Within seconds, they all rushed in and surrounded the girl. Allen chuckled when he saw Ikuko start to blush. Now he understood why she wanted to come here.

"Even in times of suffering, nobody could survive as long as Ikuko did without some support." He thought as he watched the children's parents walk up to the large group of kids, clearly curious to see what had caused all of the commotion.

"Now, now, Arata, give the girl some space." One of the boys mom said as she lightly pushed her children away from Ikuko. However, instead of obeying his mother's commands, the boy pushed back.

"C'mon mom, don't be like that, I mean just look! It's Ikuko! Ikuko's come back!" The boy yelled, clearly startling his mother and all of the nearby parents. For a brief second, none of them seemed to realize what the boy was saying. It was around then that the boy's mother finally turned to the aforementioned girl, and when she realized that it was, in fact, Ikuko, she couldn't help but gasp.

"Oh-oh my..." the mother mumbled as she squatted down to get a better look at the girl. From this position, Allen could see the woman in a clearer light. She had deep bags under her eyes, however, her face and general posture seemed to emanate kindness and energy. Her long chestnut hair flowed all the way down her back, with a small Japanese-style hairpin woven in near the end of a simple ponytail.

"Hello Mrs. Nakamura, its been a long time." Ikuko mumbled, still clearly embarrassed by this whole situation. Immediately after the words left her mouth, the mother, who Allen now knew as Mrs. Nakamura, leaned over and wrapped her arm around her.

"I can't believe it!" Mrs. Nakamura howled out, tears of joy running down her face, as she turned to the other parents. "Guys! Ikuko's come back, she's alive!" After she let the others know, she turned back to the girl in question and playfully squished her cheeks. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I barely recognized you!" Mrs. Nakamura said as she hugged Ikuko again.

"Ugh... Mrs. Nakamura... I can't breathe." Ikuko mumbled as she squirmed in the woman's grasp.

"Now, now Dear, there's no need to crush the little girl." A man, who Allen assumed to be Mr. Nakamura, said as he walked through the crowd of children. Unlike all of the other parents, he was a bit better dressed, and was wearing a small white coat with his name embroidered into its side.

"Make that Dr. Nakamura." Allen thought as the man crouched down and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. Judging by the style of coat he was wearing, Allen guessed that he must've worked in the slum's clinic. Most of the Japanese, after all, couldn't afford the costly fees to go to a typical Britannian hospital. So, whenever one of them got injured, they'd go to a clinic that was set up in the slum itself. Even back in his day, this practice was fairly common.

"When we heard about Britannia's attack on the Shinjuku Ghetto, we feared the worst. I'm sorry we couldn't do anything." The man said as he gave Ikuko a small, but earnest, bow. When he saw that, Allen grinned and looked up at the sky. No matter where you went, the loyalty that ghetto and slum-dwellers had for each other was simply heartwarming.

"Oh, n-no, don't worry about it!" Ikuko said, her face now completely red. However, Dr. Nakamura didn't let up. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small first aid kit.

"There's no need to act tough, Ikuko, we all saw the video." He said as he gently took Ikuko's arm and inspected it for wounds. However, when he couldn't find any, his eyes went wide. "What the...? What happened to your injuries?" As he asked his question, the doctor let go of Ikuko's arm, and gently rolled her sleeve back up. Allen couldn't blame the man for being confused, he was an expert in medicine, after all.

"You don't have to worry about that!" Ikuko said as she playfully bounced her arms up through the air. "Mr. Walker took care of me, so now I'm all better!" When she said that, all of the parents looked at her in confusion.

"Mr. Walker? Who's that?" Mrs. Nakamura asked her as Allen sighed and walked up to the group. He had a feeling that that was his que.

"Uh... hello?" Allen said as he awkwardly waved at the group of people. Not wanting to be rude, he placed his right hand over his heart, and gave them all a small bow. However, none of them seemed to notice his presence. "I guess, compared to Ikuko, I'm little more than dust in the wind." He thought as he watched her talk to some of the children. "This has got to be the happiest I've ever seen her." Her smiles and giggles were genuine, and that amazed him. Eventually, Ikuko looked up from the crowd and noticed him standing in the sidelines.

"Mr. Walker, come and say hi!" She told him as she walked over and tugged at one of his sleeves. As she dragged him into the center of the crowd, the parents, who by this point were now very confused, looked at him with obviously concerned gazes.

"Those features... do you think he's a Britannian?" One of them whispered as he nervously straightened his hair. Allen didn't know why, but being the center of all of these parents attention made him unbelievably nervous.

"He looks familiar, where have I seen him before?" Another one of the parents mumbled as they pinched the bridge of their nose. Obviously referring to the video of him saving Ikuko that had been going viral online. As they thought, he watched as several children looked up and stared at him with curious, and confused, gazes.

"Mister, you look like a clown." A child, who Mrs. Nakumura called Arata, said as he pointed at Allen's white hair and crimson scar.

"Arata! That was very rude!" Mrs. Nakamura said as she pinched the boy's ear.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it!" Arata called out as he turned back to Allen and quickly apologized. "Sorry Mister, I didn't mean it." The boy mumbled as he turned away from his mom and pouted, whispering under his breath, "he still looks like a clown though..." Allen laughed as he reached up and scratched his left cheek, the boy had good instincts, after all.

"You shouldn't be punishing him Ma'am." He said as he crouched down to be at Arata's eye level. "After all, he's right, I am a clown." Well, technically, he was retired, but they didn't need to know that little detail. "Hmm..." Allen thought as he felt his foot brush against a small round object, "a ball?" When he saw the baby blue toy just resting at his feet, a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"What are you doing Mr. Walker?" Ikuko asked him as he picked up the ball and tossed it into the air. Within the few seconds the ball was above his head, he found a couple of fist-sized rocks, and tossed them up to join the toy ball. Then, to complete the trick, he hopped over and stood on his hands, juggling the ball and rocks with his feet. The trick definitely got the attention of the parents, but it was the children who were the most intrigued by his clownlike antics. As the crowd stood back to allow him to continue the trick, Allen added on a new layer. Using his left hand's pointer and middle finger as faux-legs, he slowly made his way over to another pile of rocks. Then, he used his right hand to pick up the rocks and toss them into the sky, adding them to his juggling routine.

"Well I'll be damned..." another one of the parents said as several of the children started to laugh and cheer. It was impressive stunts like these that, he found, always got the best reactions out of people. However, amidst the sea of happy faces, there was one person who saw his trick in a completely different light. Said person was, of course, Ikuko, who simply watched his juggling act with a look of complete admiration. Almost like that of a daughter cheering on her father. After that, Allen flipped back up to his feet, and effortlessly caught all of the falling rocks. The blue ball, which he hadn't caught on purpose, simply fell into one of the children's laps. With that out of the way, Allen turned back to his audience and gave them all another one of his small bows. This time, they all saw it, and gave him a thunderous applause.

"That was so cool!" Arata said, his freckled face brimming with glee, as he and a few of the other boys ran up to him. "How in the world did you do that?!" As the boy practically yelled his question out, Allen chuckled and shrugged. It had been years since he last did that trick, yet even after all this time, he hadn't lost his touch. "Ikuko! You have to tell me who this guy is! With skills like that, he's got to be some sort of bigshot performer!" Yet again, Arata's mom walked up and pulled the boy back. However, this time, her gaze was much more soft. In fact, all of the parents moods noticeably changed after his little stunt.

"I guess they don't see me as a threat now..." Allen thought as he looked up at the sky. These people were obviously familiar with Ikuko, however, he was a completely new face. And, to make matters worse, he wasn't Japanese. These people were slum dwellers, and for them, all outsiders were instinctively seen as dangerous. It was a normal reaction that was born out of necessity, and one that he had used in the past.

"Are you okay, son?" Dr. Nakamura asked him as he walked up and took out a small box of bandages. Before Allen had a chance to say anything, the man snapped his fingers, and shook his hand. "Oh, silly me! Let me introduce myself first. In case you didn't already hear, my name's Dr. Nakamura, my wife is over there, and I think you've already met my son." As the two of them shared the standard introductions, Dr. Nakamura gently lifted up Allen's right arm and started to unwrap one of the bandages. "Juggling those rocks like that must've been hell on your body, would you like me to take a look?" Yet another person who was just like the head nurse. He had a feeling that Mr. Nakamura was an excellent doctor, and, if his ragged coat was anything to go off of, probably didn't charge much, if anything, for his services.

"Oh, no thank you. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine." Allen said as he felt something bump against his leg. One of the children had tossed the blue ball back at him, obviously in the hopes that he'd do the act again. However, after taking just one look at Ikuko, Allen felt that he wouldn't have the time. The girl was slowly, but surely, starting to get swept up by the energy of the crowd, and not in a good way. "She's looking for attention..." he thought as a sad smile worked its way onto his lips. Even though Ikuko was obviously close to all of these people, he had a feeling that she didn't spend too much time here. "Hey, Dr. Nakamura, can I ask you a question?" Allen said as he turned to the man, who was currently pushing his son on one of the swings.

"Ask away, Mr. Walker." Dr. Nakamura said as his son jumped off of the swing set, "Arata, what did I say? Stop doing that! It's dangerous!" Allen chuckled as he watched the man's son, who was completely ignoring his father, run off to play with the other boys. "That kid... what am I going to do with him?" Dr. Nakamura sighed as he moved his focus back to Allen. "Sorry about that, now tell me, what's your question?"

"I just wanted to know..." Allen started as he watched Ikuko clamber up the playground, "...what sort of person is Ikuko? Did she spend a lot of time here?" When he asked that question, Dr. Nakamura's eyes widened a little bit, and the man smiled.

"You want to know about that?" The man said as he lazily plopped himself down on a nearby bench. Once he got himself comfortable, he sighed and scratched his chin. "That girl is one of the sweetest bundles of joy I've ever met, but honestly, she's incredibly distrusting of basically anyone besides the people in this slum." As he talked, the man stared at Allen and smiled. "Some of my neighbors kids found her and invited her to this very park to play, since then, she's stopped by here at least once every two months. All of the kids, mine included, love her to bits. However..." the man sighed again, "...she's a very difficult child to deal with."

"What do you mean?" Allen asked as he sat down net to the tired doctor. As the two of them talked, Dr. Nakamura frowned and rubbed his eyes.

"Since you're here, I'm assuming you already know the gist of her situation?" The man mumbled as Allen nodded his head. "Good, that means I can cut right to the chase. As I've told you before, Ikuko's a distrusting person. But, for someone like her, that's more than normal. What makes her difficult is the fact that she doesn't trust herself." When Allen heard that, he leaned back into the bench and looked up at the beautiful blue sky. He had no idea what the doctor meant by those words, but, he was certain that the man would elaborate. "That girl is in a particularly difficult position. She's a homeless orphan with no last name, someone who needs help, but, for some reason, she never allows herself to accept said help. I've invited her to stay with me and my family multiple times, but she always left after only staying a few nights."

"Did she just not like living with you?" Allen asked the man, who chuckled.

"No, no, it's not like that." The man started as he stared at the ground, his expression somber and sad. "If you want my opinion... I think that girl is just scared of this place." As he spoke, the man grabbed a small stone up off the ground, tossed it in the air a few times, and threw it towards one of the many abandoned buildings that surrounded the park. The stone flew through the air, effortlessly passing through the building's rotted wood, before crashing into something inside. "These slums are full of places like this, abandoned towns with no life left in them. Every corner is filled with criminals, rebels, and soldiers, all trying to kill one another." Off in the distance, Allen heard a gunshot ring through the city, its ominous echo slowly shaking his body. A few moments later, another distant gunshot filled his ears, and then another, and another. Normally, such a horrible sound would cause people to panic, however, Dr. Nakamura didn't even flinch. Arata and the other children didn't even seem to notice the fact that, just a few blocks away, someone was fighting for their life. For them, the sound of gunfire was just another part of the daily routine. "It's sad, I know." Dr. Nakamura mumbled when he saw Allen's shocked face. "But, really, who can blame us? If we all scrambled at every little gunshot, then nothing would get done." As sad as it was, Allen understood what the man was saying. Learning to live with violence was part of backstreet life. Hell, when he was their age, he had that lesson beaten into him several times.

"No matter what year, or what country, the rules of the underground remain the same." Allen thought as he watched the children continue to play, however, amidst the sea of happy faces, there was one person that wasn't smiling. Ever since the gunfire started, Ikuko had subtly hid herself away in a little area underneath one of the slides. With every gunshot that echoed through the playground, the girl's tiny body flinched.

"Hey, Ikuko, what's wrong?" Arata asked the girl as he, and a few of the other children, joined her in the little cubby underneath the slide. However, no matter what question they asked, Ikuko didn't answer.

"So that's how it is..." Allen whispered as he watched Ikuko continue to shake. It was obvious that the girl had chosen to come here to visit these people, however, the area itself still terrified her. Looking back, that was probably the reason why she fled to the Tokyo Settlement in the first place. Since she had been abandoned at an early age, she was forced to face the slums horrors by herself. Anybody in her position wouldn't want to stay in one place for long, even if said refuge was with friends. As Allen pondered Ikuko's depressing situation, he felt Dr. Nakamura's hand wrap around his shoulder.

"Now that I've answered your question, would you be so kind as to answer one of mine?" He asked him, Allen, of course, nodded. When he did, Dr. Nakamura smiled and stood up, taking a moment to stretch his aching back. "As I'm sure you overheard, all of us have seen the video of you jumping to shield Ikuko from those Britannians. I'll be honest, if I hadn't seen that video, I wouldn't have told you a thing about her." When he said that, Allen shrugged, the man's words made sense, after all. "So, when I ask this question, know that I'm not asking this because I don't trust you." With that, Dr. Nakamura walked back over and stared straight into his eyes. "Tell me, what's your relationship with her?" He asked, his tone as sharp as a razor.

"With Ikuko?" Allen started as he got up and started to make his way towards the playground. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how to answer that question.

"I know you mean well by returning her here, but, if you're trying to find her a home in the slums, you'd be better off trying elsewhere. This place just itches her the wrong way, you know?" Dr. Nakamura said as a flock of pigeons flew over their heads. "No matter what place you find for her, that child will always flee to greener pastures. Even if said pastures aren't meant for her." As the man spoke, Allen frowned and turned around, taking a moment to stare at the Tokyo Settlement far off in the distance.

"Is it a crime to hope for a better life?" Allen asked the man as a couple of helicopters flew overhead.

"No, but for someone in her situation, it's important to be realistic." Dr. Nakamura said as he leaned against a nearby street lamp. "The Tokyo Settlement is for Britannians, not the Japanese. And, if any of us try to weasel our way in, all too often we just end up underneath one of their bootheels." As sad as it was, Allen understood what he was trying to say. However, he wasn't trying to find Ikuko a new home.

"If she wants to leave, I won't stop her, but, for now, she'll be safe with me." Allen thought as he turned back to Dr. Nakamura and smiled, it was about time that he answered the man's question. "Dr. Nakamura, to tell you the truth, I don't really know how to describe my relationship with Ikuko." Allen said as he somberly stared at the ground, causing Dr. Nakamura to raise an eyebrow. However, before the man could speak up, Allen reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But don't worry, I promise that I have her best interests in mind." As he said that, Allen turned around and gave Ikuko a little wave. The girl, who was still sat underneath one of the slides shaking in fear, instantly regained her composure when she saw his smile. Allen, for the life of him, didn't understand why such a simple gesture improved the girl's mood that much. However, after seeing her reaction, Dr. Nakamura instantly knew how Ikuko saw Allen Walker.

"So that's how it is..." he thought as he felt a warm rush shoot through his body, almost as if a cherub was gently plucking at his heartstrings. "If it's like that, then there's no reason for me to worry." Some folks were excellent judges of character, Ikuko was one of those people. The gaze she was giving him was one of upmost trust, one that, in his experience, was reserved only for close family members.

"Hey Dad! Can you come help? Reo fell and scraped his knee!" Arata called out from the other end of the playground. When he heard that, Dr. Nakamura smiled, and ran off towards his son. For now, he believed that Ikuko was in good hands. As he tended to the children's wounds, Allen ducked under the slide and joined Ikuko in her little hiding place.

"How's it going?" He said as he struggled to fit his grown body into the small space. "Ah, man, stuff like this was a lot easier when I was your age." Allen groaned out as he awkwardly curled himself up into a ball. Ikuko, who was watching all of this, couldn't help but laugh when she saw his frustrated face. "Oh, so you find this funny?" He said in an overly-exaggerated tone, which only made Ikuko laugh harder. "You know, if you keep doing that, then I'll have to stop you." As he spoke, Allen grinned, and lightly pinched Ikuko's nose.

"Ouch!" She said as she playfully batted Allen's hand away. The fear which had previously washed over her was now completely gone. At the moment, she was just like any other little girl, playing without a care in the world.

"Tell me... why did you choose to come to this place if you're afraid of guns?" Allen asked her, his voice taking a serious tone. When Ikuko heard that, she started to pout, and turned her head away from him. It was a childish act that Allen had yet to see from her, and was honestly very cute.

"I just wanted to see my friends, that's all." Her response was short and to the point. However, there was a sadness to it that broke Allen's heart. He could tell that the girl felt like an outsider in this place, and honestly, he didn't blame her.

"It's alright if you don't want to live here." He told her as he patted her on the back. "What's important is that you were willing to overcome your fear in order to spend time with the people you care about. That's something that not a lot of people can do." As he spoke, he and Ikuko heard yet another gunshot ring off in the distance. The second the sound reached their ears, Ikuko twitched, and instantly grabbed one of his sleeves. "It's okay... I'm here..." Allen whispered as he held her close.

"Mr. Walker, do you get scared?" She asked him, her voice practically an inaudible whisper. When he heard that, Allen laughed and nodded his head.

"Of course, there isn't a person on this planet that fear doesn't touch. Why do you ask?" He had a feeling that he already knew the answer, but, this was something that Ikuko had to tell him on her own.

"How do you deal with it then, the fear, I mean..." she said as another distant echo shook the playground. As she lay still in his arms, Allen brushed some stray strands of hair out of her eyes and smiled.

"That's a good question, but I don't think my answer will be what you're looking for." When Ikuko remained silent, Allen sighed and placed a hand over his heart. "Whenever I'm afraid, I like to think of the people important to me, and that gives me strength." Unsurprisingly, all his words managed to accomplish was make Ikuko more confused than she already was.

"So does that mean if I think about you and my friends, I won't be scared anymore?" Ikuko whispered as her body continued to shudder. Sadly, Allen shook his head.

"Everyone copes with fear in their own unique way, Ikuko. If you want to get over yours, you'll have to find what works best for you." It was obvious that his answer wasn't what the girl was looking for, but he expected that. After all, she was hoping that he'd give her an easy solution to her problem. But, for her to get over this slump, Ikuko would have to find her own way to deal with her demons. "Hey, don't give me that look, I know it's frustrating." Allen said when he saw Ikuko start to pout. "Listen, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth. This isn't something that I can save you from, you'll have to save yourself. However..." he started as he lovingly patted Ikuko's head, "...that doesn't mean I won't help you. I'll be here every step of the way, and that's a promise."

"Do you really mean that?" Ikuko mumbled as her grip on his sleeve tightened, when Allen nodded his head, she lifted up her hand and wrapped her tiny pinky around his. It was a gesture that Allen knew all too well. "If you're serious, then pinky promise." She told him as Allen chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, I'm not the type of person that breaks their promises." He said as he returned Ikuko's gesture, much to the girl's delight. As the two of them shared their little moment, Allen leaned back against the plastic slide and looked up at the sky. In the short amount of time that had passed, a dense front of clouds had wafted over their heads. "It looks like a storm is coming..." Allen thought as his eyebrows narrowed. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about those ominous clouds made his heart start to beat.

"Mr. Walker?" Ikuko mumbled as she watched him stare intently at the storm front, confusion written all over her face. "Are you alright?" When he didn't respond, the girl just shrugged, and ran off to go play with the rest of the children. If she had just moved a flew centimeters closer, she would've noticed that something was very, very wrong with the boy. For, the entire time Allen was staring at the clouds, both of his eyes had gone completely black.

"Ugh.. I'm hungry.." he thought as he lifted his gloved right hand up into the air, "I need to get something to eat." As he reached up towards the clouds, each of the fingers on his right hand slowly started to extend, lengthening and sharpening until they became five spear-like tendrils. However, as quickly as the tendrils were formed, they vanished. "What was that?" Allen thought as he held his aching head, his eyes now back to normal. For a few seconds, his mind had gone blank, with only the sound of his stomach rumbling to fill the silence.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Well there goes another chapter, I hope you guys have been liking these quick updates, cause I know I certainly have! Anyways, just to let you all know, there won't be any chapters for the next five days (I've got things to deal with) but, after that, who knows. As you can probably tell, the stakes are slowly starting to rise with this story. For those of you who are good with foreshadowing, I hope you can spot the hints I dropped you all from chapter to chapter. Anyways, that's all for me, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you all in the next chapter of A New Dawn!**

**P.S. For those of you that've been waiting, the next chapter will have some action in it, that's a promise!**

**Chapter 12: Clowning Around**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another chapter! Sorry for the relatively long wait for this one, it's kind of been a hectic couple of days for me throughout the past couple of weeks. I've been so focused on writing my book (which, if anyone cares at all, is almost done, so, yay.) that I haven't been able to give my regular stories any attention. But, don't worry, that doesn't mean I've forgotten about them! It's just that, over the next couple of weeks, my main focus is going to be finishing, editing, and working on publishing my book. So, if you're wondering why my updates over the next couple of months are far and in between, that's why. If you guys have any questions about it, however, you'll have to PM me. **

**Anyways, with that out of the way, I think it's about time I get back to the main attraction! As I promised you guys in the last author's note, this chapter has some action for you, so I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or Code Geass, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Clowning Around**

Crying, that was the single sound that he heard as he wandered aimlessly through the darkness. A horrifying infant's call that echoed down to the very depths of his soul. As the sound rattled his stomach and shattered his mind; Allen opened his eyes and fell down to his knees. Like some sort of twisted instrument, the incessant tantrum seemed to grow louder with his quickening heartrate. Every second brought a new wave of pain that assaulted his very being. Each moment a trail that tested his nature as a mortal man. There was something about the call that was so... so familiar. However, no matter how hard he tried, the memory eluded him. Suddenly, for a split second, the crying stopped, and a brief moment of clarity came to him. "Where... where am I?" He wondered as he his eyes finally opened, staining his eyes with a blinding light.

"Good morning, Mr. Walker, I'm glad you could join me." A mysterious voice, like an older man in his late fifties, said as he pulled himself up off of the ground. Once he was finally standing upright, Allen took a step back and surveyed his surroundings. By the looks of things, he appeared to be standing in the middle of a huge penthouse. Small palm trees and a large aquarium stained the room in a beautiful shimmering blue light, making it seem as if the hardwood tiles he was standing on were made out of flowing water. "I'm over here, Mr. Walker." The voice said again from a higher section of the penthouse. A small flight of glass stairs spiraled up the side of a few large bedrooms, leading to an entirely new level of the large apartment.

"Is this a dream?" Allen thought, still groggy, as he slowly started to walk up the stairs. "I don't understand what's going on..." yet again, Allen heard the voice ring through his head. This time in a tone that, while oddly condescending, was practically dripping with pity.

"You will soon, after all, you aren't strong enough to understand. At least, not yet." When Allen heard that, he couldn't help but raise one of his eyebrows in confusion. What in the world did the voice mean by that? However, before he could take a moment to contemplate the matter, his vision once again started to go hazy. "Oh, and there you go. I'm honestly shocked that you lasted this long."

"Who are you? Are you a fragment of Noah?" Allen asked the voice as he collapsed down to his knees. As his body greedily gulped down air, he closed his eyes and listened as a pair of footsteps walked up to him.

"To answer your question, no, I'm not a piece of Noah's memories. I'm something that I'm certain you'll find much more terrifying." The voice said again as Allen looked up. Instantly, his eyes were drawn to the mysterious figure's left arm, which was stained the color of blood, and familiar brown hair. It didn't take him long before Allen realized that he was staring at himself, or, as the clowns back at the circus liked to call him, "...Red Arm?"

* * *

At that point in his life, there were few things that could terrify Allen Walker as thoroughly as one of his bad dreams. They were never so simple as a typical nightmare would be, and every time he had one, he always questioned if he had truly woken up, or, if he was still stuck wandering through the labyrinth that was his mind. Before even taking his first breath of fresh air, Allen reached down and pinched himself. "Ah... thank God, it was all a dream." He mumbled as he let out a sigh. For a second there, he thought he was going crazy. After that, Allen hopped out of his makeshift-bed and walked over to his office, which was where he kept all of his clothes, eager to start the day. "What time is it?" According to his clock, it was almost seven, meaning he had more than enough time to get ready for class. "I should stay quiet, Ikuko's probably still asleep." Not wasting a moment, Allen stealthily made his way back into the living room and whipped up a simple breakfast. For Ikuko, he made a small bowl of oatmeal and placed it in the oven. Thanks to that outing they had the other day, Allen doubted that he'd see her that morning. He had to practically carry her back after she was through playing with her friends. "I guess I'll just leave a note on the refrigerator, that should get her attention." Just like every other morning, as he went about his daily routine, Allen turned on the television to the local news station. Besides the weather and a few reports on the Black Knights, the majority of the broadcast was spent on discussing the usual turns in the economy, as well as some gossip about the Britannian royal family.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, Princess Euphemia has planned to reveal her chosen knight today. This is an event that has been closely followed by Britannian nobles, as well as the general public." One of the anchorwomen started as she turned to face the camera. "According to the Britannian National Logistics Union several of Princess Cornelia's knights expect that Princess Euphemia might've chosen an oddball to fill this vacant position. The royal family's home office refused to comment on this issue, but it's only a matter of time before the question that's on everyone's mind is answered." After hearing that, Allen sighed and turned the television off.

"I've got a feeling that my classmates are going to be quite energetic today." Allen thought as he slipped on his uniform and headed for the door, whenever the royal family did anything worth mentioning, all of the nobles would turn on the news and simply gossip over the littlest of things. To be perfectly honest, he'd give anything to avoid going to class today for that very reason. "Britannians, I swear..." he mumbled as he tip-toed past the main bedroom. After all, if possible, he'd like to not wake Ikuko up. "I'll just let her sleep in today." With that, Allen walked out of his front door and into the hallway. The itchy carpeting seemed to irritate his feet through his thick boots, and cold air hung below him like a thick cloud.

"Oh my, it feels as if we're in the middle of winter!" An elderly woman said as she walked out of her apartment and into the nearest elevator. After a few seconds, the doors closed with a satisfying _ding,_ and Allen could hear the sound of the elevator slowly descending down the gigantic building.

"Amazing..." even though it was such a simple piece of technology by this period's standards, he couldn't help but find it impressive. Granted, it was a far cry from the massive elevator the Science Section constructed at Headquarters, but the fact that such technology was being freely used in public buildings such as these brought a smile to his face. Still, that didn't mean that he'd be taking the elevator, for him, it was faster to simply take the stairs. After checking to make sure that nobody was looking, Allen slipped into the stairwell and looked down. At such early hours, he'd usually be the only one taking the stairs, which meant that he could take some shortcuts that he normally wouldn't be able to do in public. "Let's see... if I remember right, there are security cameras installed on floors forty-four, thirty, twenty-six, ten, and five. I guess I'll just walk down those ones normally." He thought as he walked up to the spiraling staircase's railing and looked over the edge. "Whelp, here goes nothing!" With that, Allen held his schoolbag tight and jumped over the bannister, causing him to plummet towards the bottom floor. When he approached a landing that had a security camera installed he'd stop his descent by grabbing one of the metal railings with his left hand. After that, he'd pull himself back up and walk past the camera normally. Then, he'd repeat the cycle, until he finally arrived at the ground floor. Using this method, he was able to save about fifteen minutes on his daily commute to school, which gave him a little bit of time to explore and enjoy the city.

"Have a good day at school, Mr. Walker!" One of the receptionists called out to him as he walked past the front desk.

"Thanks," he started as he wrapped his hand around the front door. However, before exiting the building, he took a step back and snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot!" With all of the commotion that came with his morning routine, it slipped his mind that he had something special planned for today. "Ma'am, do you know of any good gift shops in this part of town?" Allen asked the receptionist as he straightened his coat. After a few moments of thinking, the receptionist grinned, nodded, and reached into her purse to pull out a small map of the city. He had asked this very receptionist for directions in the past, and now, at this point, she came prepared.

"Let me guess: you're planning on getting something for Ikuko, aren't you?" She asked him as she playfully twirled a strand of her hair around her index finger. When she saw Allen blush, she giggled and splayed the map across the desk in front of him. "There's no need to be embarrassed, I completely understand." The receptionist said as she took out a pen and circled a few nearby shops. "These are my personal favorites, some of them are a tad expensive, but you can't complain about their quality. If you're planning on getting something small, this shop in the mall will be more than adequate. Plus, they even give students a discount."

"Hmm...?" Allen mumbled as he looked over the map and pointed to a small shop near Ashford Academy. "What's this place? According to the map, it's also a toy store." After hearing his question, the receptionist simply cocked an eyebrow and typed the store's name into her computer.

"I've never heard of it, but if it's near Ashford Academy, it has to be a pretty fancy place." Hopefully their products would be within his price range. "I think I've made my decision, thanks again for the directions Ma'am." Allen said as the receptionist shook his hand. After that, he said his goodbyes, and finally exited the building. Sadly, the second his foot touched the pavement, an alarm on his phone went off. "Crap, I spent too much time talking, if I don't hurry I'm going to be late for class!" If he ran, he was certain that he'd be able to grab Ikuko something while making it in time for school. So, without wasting a moment, Allen took in a deep breath of air and started sprinting down the sidewalk. The cool morning air blew gently past his face as he rushed around street corner after street corner, causing his hair, which he had tied back into a long ponytail, to waft in the breeze. During his run, several fancy cars drove past him, no doubt filled with his noble fellow classmates.

"Hey, that's Allen Walker!" He heard a feminine voice say from one of the passing vehicles. "Are you too poor to afford a car, Europian?!" The girl said as she threw a small pebble at him from the passenger-side window. Without even batting an eye, Allen ducked under the rock and continued his run, much to his classmate's anger. Just before her car vanished into the morning traffic, he could hear the sound of the girl angrily cursing at her driver, as if it were their fault that her pebble missed.

"I wonder what's got her so agitated?" Allen thought as he waited at a busy intersection. Even though he was despised by the majority of the noble student body, physical violence was still a rare occurrence. "Even though we're in public, that girl didn't hesitate to throw that stone at me." Odds are, something was bothering her. But what could've possibly gotten a noble so irritated? His answer came just moments later, when he turned to one of the gigantic televisions that was bolted onto a nearby skyscraper. Instead of the usual commercials, the standard broadcast had been replaced with the Britannian news channel. "Breaking news?" He mumbled out loud as he stopped to watch the broadcast. "Princess Euphemia announces her knight?" Allen wasn't sure why, but he just knew that this was the reason for that girl's anger. And when the screen suddenly changed to a picture of said knight, Allen instantly understood why. "Wait..." he thought as he rubbed his eyes, for a second, he must've been seeing things. However, he couldn't deny what was right in front of him. "Suzaku Kururugi to be appointed as Princess Euphemia's personal knight, huh..." Allen whispered as he read the title of the broadcast. He wasn't sure if he should be happy, or shocked. In more ways than one, he was ecstatic after hearing such good news, but, he was also afraid. "I've got a feeling that the nobles are going to riot." With his knighthood, Suzaku would become a noble, and Allen was certain that some of his classmates weren't too happy about that fact. "I should probably keep my head down during the morning lectures." He wasn't in the mood to be accosted by some uptight noble today, not when he'd be carrying such precious cargo. "Speaking of which..." Allen mumbled as he finally crossed the intersection, "If I want to get Ikuko's gift before class starts, I'll need to hurry." There was only so much time in a day, after all, and he had a feeling that he was going to need all of it. And so, just like that, Allen turned into the nearest alleyway, and disappeared into the city streets...

* * *

Lelouch frowned as he darted in and out of the large crowds of students, ever since Euphemia's announcement, everything had gone straight to hell. Not only was he late to a major meeting, but Ashford's student body was in total disarray. "This is messed up!" He heard a male student call out from the nearest classroom. "How in the world could they let an Eleven become a knight?! Are they out of their mind?!" Yet again, Lelouch sighed, he just knew that today was going to be taxing. All around him students were using their personal monitors to watch Suzaku's knighting ceremony, and none of them were watching with happy faces. "Sometimes I just don't know how you do it, Suzaku…" he thought as one of his throwaway phones started to ring. "Yes, be quick, I'm in public right now." He started as he turned on his voice changer.

"Zero, are you on your way to the meeting? Ohgi and the others are waiting." He heard Kallen say from the other end of the line. As far as the student body knew, she was currently undergoing an "experimental treatment" at a nearby hospital. However, in reality, the anti-Britannian terrorist was currently hiding out in their main base.

"Is Rakshata and everyone else there? If possible, I'd like to start the meeting as soon as I arrive." With Suzaku's knighthood, there wasn't a second to lose.

"Yes, and I don't believe that will be a problem. We're all just waiting for you, Zero." The girl said again. With that, Lelouch hung up, and hurried towards the front exit.

"Classes can wait for today, now is the time for action." He thought as he opened the front door. However, the second his hand touched the door's handle, a familiar face walked by him. "Oh, well if it isn't Allen Walker?" Lelouch greeted as he held the door open for the Europian student. To be perfectly honest, he didn't have the time to waste on this. But, if he just walked by without saying anything, that would only make him look suspicious.

"Lelouch, thank you." The boy told him as Lelouch stepped aside to let him move past.

"What in the world is that?" He asked Allen when he noticed a large brown bag strapped to the boy's back. In response, Allen just grinned and tenderly patted the side of the bag.

"Oh this? It's a gift." Allen told him as a few packing peanuts fell out and onto the floor. "Ah shoot, is there a hole?" As the boy struggled to find the source of the spilling packaging, Lelouch simply smiled and placed a hand on Allen's shoulder.

"Here, you forgot to zip up the right part of the bag." He told him as he grabbed the zipper and pulled it closed. For a brief moment, Lelouch could see a few tufts of white fur sticking out of the bag. And not only that, he got a glimpse of the gift's tag as well. "Britannian Toys and Plushies?" He said as his eyes went wide. "Do you have a kid brother or sister's birthday coming up?" In the past, he had bought similar gifts for Nunnally from that very same store. However, much to his surprise, Allen shook his head.

"No, this is... this is for someone special." When he heard that, Lelouch couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Was he trying to hide something? Sadly, Walker's secrets would have to wait, as, out of nowhere, his personal phone started to ring.

"Milly? Great, what in the world could she want?" Lelouch thought as he frustratingly pinched the bridge of his nose. If he ignored her calls, he just knew that it would bring him trouble later. So, after sighing in defeat, the Britannian prince flipped open the device and held it up to his ear. "Lelouch speaking," he started as Milly's crackled voice came out of the speaker. Thankfully, for the first time in what seemed like ages, Milly got straight to the point.

"Was that the president?" Allen asked him as Lelouch slipped his phone back into his pocket, he nodded.

"Yeah, it wasn't anything major. All she wanted was for me to tell you to head to the Student Council building after class." Lelouch exclaimed as the first bell rang.

"Oh, okay, does she want me to bring anything?" Allen asked him, Lelouch shook his head. Knowing Milly, she probably had some sort of task planned for him.

"My guess is that she wants to talk to you about how classes are going. That, or she's trying to protect you." Lelouch said as Allen scratched the back of his neck, why in the world would she need to protect him? Thankfully, Lelouch was there to answer his question. "With the news of Suzaku's knighthood going around, many of the noble students are being... difficult... to say the least. And since Suzaku isn't here, they're currently looking for someone to push their anger onto." When Allen realized what Lelouch was trying to say, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"And let me guess: that someone is me, isn't it?" Allen said as Lelouch chuckled.

"As long as Milly's here, I'm certain that you'll be fine." He told him as Lelouch checked his watch and bit his lip. "Ah hell," he mumbled when the school's second bell started to ring. If he wanted to make it now, he'd have to run. "Dammit!" This day was just going from bad to worse. So, with that, Lelouch said his goodbyes and rushed out of the building, leaving Allen to his own devices.

* * *

"A party?" Allen mumbled as he skimmed over the list that Milly had given him. After class was over, he did as Lelouch told him, and went to the Student Council building. He was half-expecting that he was going to be reprimanded for something, however, the reality of the situation was completely different.

"Yeah, to congratulate Suzaku on becoming a knight, I thought it would be an excellent idea. However, to do this, we're going to have to buy some of our own materials." Milly said as she flipped through a small notepad. "I was going to ask Lelouch to do it, but since he isn't here, we've kind of hit a snag. The rest of the Student Council are too busy dealing with the paperwork for the cooking and such, so we're in need of some outside assistance."

"I get it... they need a mule." Allen thought as he let out a lighthearted chuckle. Back when he was still at the Black Order, Komui would send him on similar errands all the time. Sometimes they were for spare parts, other times he'd just be helping Lenalee hand out coffee, but every instance was unique. Hopefully, this wouldn't be any different. "Sure, I'm not busy at the moment, what do you need me to get?" When he said that, Milly's eyes twinkled like stars.

"You're serious? Thank God, for a second there I thought we were dead in the water." When she said that, Allen couldn't help but smile. In more ways than one, Milly's playful personality reminded him of Lavi. Maybe one of the reasons he agreed to do this was because of that sense of nostalgia. "Hey Rivalz! You can stop trying to call Lelouch now, Allen's going to do it!" From the other room, Allen could hear the boy cry out in relief. "Sorry about that, he's been pulling his hair out over the vice president for the past few hours." As she spoke, Milly tore off a piece of paper from her notepad and handed it to him. "There isn't much we need, it's mainly just extra cups and plates, just be sure that you get them back here within the next couple of hours. When you go to pay, just tell the cashier to put it on Ashford's tab." Allen nodded as he took the piece of paper and slipped it into his back pocket. While he did this, Milly sighed, got up out of her chair, and made her way over to one of the nearby windows. "Oh great, it looks like it's going to rain again." Milly said as she pouted and leaned against one of the walls.

"Really? That might be an issue." Allen mumbled as he nervously looked down at Ikuko's gift, which he had placed on a nearby chair.

"You can't afford to let that get wet." Milly started when she noticed what he was staring at. "You're welcome to leave it here while you're off shopping. Me, Rivalz, and Shirley are going to be here late tonight. So we'll be able to let you in." Milly grinned when she saw Allen nod and pick up the bag, placing it atop a nearby counter. That way, even with all of them moving about, he wouldn't have to worry that someone might accidentally step on his present. "You must really care about the person you're giving that to, c'mon, why don't you tell me who it is?" Sadly, no matter how much she bugged the boy, Allen Walker wouldn't give. "Ugh... fine! Keep your secrets!" Milly playfully whined as a few droplets of rain splattered against the window. "You might want to hurry, the forecast today didn't predict much rain, but they did say that we should be expecting some pretty nasty winds."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Allen said as he walked through the exit and sighed. "Man, I wonder where this headache is coming from?" He thought as he rubbed his sore forehead. Like many times before, the intense pain lasted for only a few seconds, and then disappeared as if it had never happened. "Maybe I should go see a doctor." He was no expert on medicine, but he knew that it wasn't normal to have so many head-splitting headaches. At this point, they happened nearly once every day. "If they keep up like this, I'll pay a visit to the nearest hospital." For now, though, he had to focus on the task before him. And so, with that, Allen sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and headed into the city.

* * *

As Milly had said, soon after he left Ashford, the city was hit by a gale of ungodly-strong winds. The trees looked like flags violently flapping in the strong weather, ripping branches and even a few rusted sign posts off of their hinges. However, the worst part by far was the rain. Even though there wasn't that much of it, when combined with the wind, travelling the city on foot became next to impossible. At least, that would be the case for a normal person. For Allen, the storm felt like little more than a pleasant breeze. "Damn, I wish I remembered to bring my umbrella." Thanks to the rain, his clothes were completely soaked. When he finally arrived at the store that Milly had recommended, he practically had to sprint to the entrance to avoid being drowned. "It's really coming down out there..." Allen mumbled once he finally made it past the store's front doors.

"Welcome sir," one of the shop's employees greeted him as he shook some of the excess moisture out of his hair. When he was done, Allen looked up, inspected the store, and frowned.

"It's a ghost town." Besides the shop's three or four employees, there wasn't a single other soul there. "I guess I'll just get what I came for, then leave." Thankfully, Milly didn't need much. As he inspected the list the class president had given him, Allen walked around the store, gazing at each and every little item. "Amazing..." he thought when he arrived at the produce aisle. "Some of these vegetables must be weeks old, yet they look as fresh as a daisy." Yet again, he couldn't help but find himself amazed at this period's technology. "Now then, let's see... what should I get first?" Around the time he waltzed into the liquor section of the shop, Allen couldn't help but notice a pleasant aroma coming from the back of the store. "Smells like popcorn." And that it was. An entire array of popcorn machines were set up along the back wall, with a few stands filled to the brim with samples standing in the center of the room. Without even taking a moment to think, Allen scooped a handful of them up, and tossed the popcorn into his mouth. "Yum! There's nothing quite like fresh popcorn!" He thought as he explored the area, however, when he saw the banner hanging above the stalls, he stopped.

_Come celebrate Princess Euphemia's new knight with a visit to our very own circus!_

"How nostalgic..." Allen thought as he felt his stomach start to rumble. Just the thought of the circus made him lose his appetite. However, even though the circus-themed aisle made him sick, he didn't leave. As, laying in a small pile at the front of the area, there were two items that caught his interest. "Are those... masks?" He mumbled as he walked over and picked one of the items up. "Well I'll be damned." The object he was holding was a small clown mask, complete with vibrant red makeup and a large, squishy, red nose. "Heh... this kind of reminds me of Mana." When he was travelling with his foster father, he'd have to wear a mask just like this one when they'd run out of makeup. "It's cheap..." he thought when he stared at the price tag. Apparently, the masks were on sale at a heavy discount. "Hmm... they must be having trouble with selling these. I wonder why?" The masks were quite well made for what they were. In his opinion, they should've been flying off the shelves.

"Creepy, aren't they?" A nearby worker joked as he stacked some cans on one of the display tables. When he said that, Allen sighed, now he understood. However, creepy or not, Allen found the mask interesting, and quickly threw one of them into his shopping cart.

"It wouldn't hurt to get one or two things for myself." He thought as he turned to the second item that garnered his attention. It was a thin, summer-style, white jacket, complete with a hood bordered with fine rabbit fur. Like the items that surrounded it, the jacket was themed after the circus, and was covered in adorable purple polka dots. Like the clown masks, the jackets were also well-made, however, thanks to their clown-theme, they also were being sold at a heavy discount. "This will help me stay out of the rain." He didn't even think before tossing one into his shopping cart, right next to the mask. With that out of the way, Allen wheeled his cart back into the main section of the store, and hastily gathered up all the items that Milly had listed.

"Did Milly Ashford send you?" The cashier asked when Allen walked up to the girl's lane, he nodded. "I knew it, whenever someone walks in wearing that uniform, it's always because of her."

"Is that right?" Allen said as he embarrassingly scratched his cheek. As he did this, the cashier pressed a small button on the side of her register, which was no doubt connected to the front desk, and spoke into a tiny microphone embedded into a nearby wall.

"I'm assuming that this transaction is going onto Ashford's tab?" The cashier asked him as a couple of large delivery vans rolled up to the front entrance.

"Uh... yeah..." Allen mumbled as he watched a legion of employees walk up and carry the items he got into the trucks. "By the way, who are those guys?" When he asked that, the cashier scoffed and laughed.

"Aren't you a student at Ashford? You should know that the Student Council has a personal delivery service." The woman obviously thought that he was joking. And so, yet again, Allen was left confused and alone.

"Most of the students can't drive, so I guess having a system like this makes sense." The vast majority of the students at Ashford were nobles, after all. Even if they wanted to go buy something personally, there was no way in hell that they'd actually carry any of it. "Milly was initially planning for Lelouch to do this little errand, after all. I should've seen this coming." Even though he respected Ashford's vice president, the boy's lacking physical stature was basically common knowledge amongst the student body.

"To put this on Ashford's tab, I'll need to see your student ID." The cashier said, causing Allen to snap back to reality.

"That explains why they needed someone to come here in person." Allen thought as he fished out his card and handed it to the woman. After typing a few things into her register, she returned the card, and pointed at the final two items remaining in his cart.

"Are those going on the tab as well?" She asked him as Allen shook his head.

"No, I'll be paying for those myself." After he spoke, Allen felt the store start to shake as thunder rocked the building. "I get the feeling that this is going to be one hell of a storm." Allen thought as he stared out of the store's front window, which was currently being hammered by a practical wall of rainwater. Right before a second flash of thunder rocked the building, Allen yawned and reached up to rub his head. "Ugh... I'm hungry..." he mumbled as he closed his eyes. For some reason, he just couldn't shake this strange sense of foreboding that he was feeling. It hung over him like a dense cloud, almost like the calm before the storm.

* * *

After he paid, Allen walked out of the store and looked up at the sky. "Well... at least the wind has died down." Besides the occasional droplet of rain, the skies were mostly clear. "I guess I should call Milly and then head back to my apartment." He had a gift to give, after all. However, just as he slipped his phone out of his pocket, he heard a familiar sound wafting over the rooftops. It was muffled, and extremely faint, but Allen recognized it instantly. "Is someone screaming?" He thought as he immediately started to dash towards the source of the noise. "This store is near the slums... maybe someone is being mugged." Such a thing wouldn't surprise him, but, even still, he had to go see what was happening. After a few minutes of running, he arrived at the source of the noise. And what he saw shocked him. Surrounding a large, dingy-looking, building was a veritable swarm of Britannian police. Several vehicles and knightmares occupied the streets, many of them armed with weapons that could rip tanks in two. Scattered across the area were also several crowds of spectators and news agencies, all of whom were eagerly watching the chaos unfold.

"We'll say this one more time, Elevens, come out with your hands up! We know that you're harboring a member of the Black Knights. If you don't surrender now, all of you will be labeled as terrorists and we'll be forced to neutralize you!" One of the officers said as he spoke into a gigantic speaker. Now, usually, in this situation, one would assume that the police would rather resolve things peacefully. However, after just getting one glance at the police officer's face, Allen knew that wasn't the case. For that officer didn't have the eyes of a man, no, that officer had the gaze of a bloodthirsty beast. The second Allen saw that, he hurried to one of the nearest crowds, which happened to be full of news anchors covering the scene, and quickly got the attention of the first person he could. Which, in this case, happened to be one of the anchors backup cameramen.

"Um... excuse me, sir, can you perhaps tell me what's happening?" Allen asked the man as one of the officers fired a bullet into the building. Immediately after that, several of the Britannian bystanders started to cheer, almost as if the officer had shot-off a firework.

"What?!" The man exclaimed as he violently turned around. "I've told you guys time and time again, we aren't accepting any statements from Elevens!" He started, however, when the cameraman finally realized who he was talking to, he stopped. "Oh, you're just a student. What do you want?" Allen couldn't help but frown when he realized what had just happened. If it wasn't for his school uniform, he was certain that he'd have been turned away. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and so he was able to ask his question. "Hah, aren't you kids always online? How haven't you already heard about this?" When Allen shrugged, the man sighed, and turned his attention back to the dilapidated building. "The Britannian police recently discovered that a member of the Black Knights was squatting in that building over there. It's a known eyesore in this area, and is absolutely filled with Elevens hoping to live closer to the city. Harboring a member of Zero's army is a serious felony, so they sent an entire regiment over to arrest the terrorist and those who are aiding them. Some citizens caught wind of what was going on, and now the entire thing has become a gigantic media circus."

"Are they armed? Why did the police bother bringing in knightmares?" Allen asked the man as he watched the officers take turns firing into the building. In response, the cameraman just shrugged and smiled.

"Who knows? Maybe the Elevens are just _that _dangerous." The joking tone the man used when he said that line sent shivers down Allen's spine. Elevens or not there were living people in that building, if the Britannians unleashed the power of two knightmares on it, there'd be nothing left.

"I don't understand, why would they... even... bother..." Allen mumbled as he shakily raised one of his hands up to his mouth. It was just then, amidst the screams and cheers of the crowd, that he finally realized what was happening. "Ah... I get it..." he started as he slowly looked up into one of the apartment complex's windows, where he could see a small child peering out at the streets below. "There aren't any terrorists in there, that's why the police are acting so relaxed. They're just waiting for someone to retaliate, then they'd have an excuse to blow the building away, including the people." The cameraman did say that Britannians considered this place to be an eyesore, and, after experiencing first-hand how horribly they treated the Japanese, the idea that they'd stage a raid just to get rid of some unwanted citizens made sense. "I, I can't let this happen!" At this rate, it was only a matter of time before one of the Japanese squatters snapped, and after that, the police would use their knightmares to level the building. Pacifism be damned! If he didn't do something, and soon, hundreds of innocent people would die. However, it wasn't like he could simply jump in and stop the operation. "There are too many cameras, if I did anything suspicious, I'd become a wanted man, and then..." Ikuko would be next. He couldn't afford to let that happen, no, he wouldn't let that happen! "Still..." Allen whispered as his eyes darted to one of the news vans, where a female anchor was explaining a propaganda-laden version of the situation. "If I want to save those people, I have to find a way to stop the Britannians without being identified." But how would he do that? It wasn't like he could turn invisible! Allen pondered this question for what seemed like minutes until, for a brief second, he felt something brush up against his leg. It was a plastic bag he brought from the store, with the jacket and mask that he had purchased still resting inside. And, in that moment, a sudden burst of inspiration shot through him. "That's it!" He thought as he hastily vanished into one of the alleyways. There was no time for hesitation, if he wanted to succeed, he had to do this now! And so, Allen tossed the plastic bag aside and slipped on his polka-dotted jacket. For one night, and one night only, he'd once again take the stage.

* * *

Kallen couldn't help but flinch when Zero turned on one of the televisions to the Britannian news. After their meeting, where they discussed what to do with Suzaku, Zero invited her, Deithard, Rakshata, and the rest of the Black Knights' most prominent members to their mobile headquarters. Most of the time, these periods were used to unwind after slogging through the day's lengthy-meetings. Of course, they still discussed important issues with Zero, but, for the most part, this was one of the few times of the day where all of them got to relax. Just the other, they used this time to reprimand Tamaki for being too nice to the recruits. However, today, the focus of conversation was on something much more serious. "Those bastards are just asking for it, I tell ya." Tamaki started as he took a sip of his drink. "I mean, everyone knows that they're just using us as an excuse to get rid of those people. So why don't we just make a statement?"

"Doing that in such a short period of time would be difficult, and with the way the situation is unfolding, that building is going to be destroyed within the next couple of minutes. There isn't anything we can do, and that's that." Diethard said as he twiddled with one of his cameras. "Trust me, all of us want to save those people, but you have to keep your eye on the bigger picture."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean? We're the Black Knights, you know, Zero's warriors of justice! You can't just tell me that we're going to sit back and let them kill all of those people!" Tamaki yelled as he got up out of his chair, however, before the conversation exploded into a full-blown argument, Zero interjected.

"Sadly, Tamaki, that's exactly what we're going to do. As much as it pains me to say it, we can't afford to waste precious resources like knightmares and troops whenever Britannia decides to poke us with a stick." The Black Knights' leader said as he looked over one of Rakshata's reports.

"Zero's right," Kallen started as she stood up and turned to Tamaki. "Trust me, I'm with you, I'd give anything to go over there and bash those Britannians skulls in, but, at the moment, we simply aren't in the position to take action." With even Kallen against him, Tamaki grumbled and leaned back into his chair. None of them liked taking a back seat to the Britannians discrimination, but, in this case, that was the only option. And so, with no other option left to him, Tamaki just frowned and turned his attention back to the news.

"_As previously stated, we were just assured that the Britannian Knightmare Unit, or BKU for short, will soon be given permission to enter the building. Crowds of patriotic citizens have come here to show their support for the brave officers, with several using it as a chance to decry the Black Knights' actions._" This time, it was Zero's turn to scoff.

"That woman sure loves to run her mouth." Their leader said as, he too, turned his attention to the screen.

"It really is insane, isn't it? That they can lie to the public like that." Ohgi mumbled as he crossed his arms. Like Tamaki, this entire situation didn't sit well with him. However, he understood why Zero decided to sit back and watch. "I just hope the death toll isn't that high..." he mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. After that, Zero reached for the television's remote and turned up the volume.

"Here we go..." he said as the anchor stepped off screen, no doubt so that the cameras could get a pretty angle of the knightmares. The Britannians must've gotten tired of waiting. In just a few seconds, the police's knightmares were right in front of the building, just waiting to unleash a hail of missiles into the complex. Ohgi, Tamaki, and Kallen all watched with baited breath as they saw the knightmares get closer and closer to the building. However, just before they started their attack, something peculiar happened.

"What in the world?" Ohgi mumbled as his eyes went wide, simply dumbfounded at what he was seeing. "Is that... a clown?"

* * *

Allen let out a breath as he effortlessly landed atop one of the knightmares. It took a few minutes for him to get used to moving in the suit, but after a few practice swings, he knew that he was more than ready for combat. As he expected, the second after he landed, several of the officers sprang into action. "Attention! You there in the... is that a clown suit?" The officer manning the megaphone started as some of the bystanders began to chuckle, they must've thought that this was some sort of elaborate prank.

"Hey punk! Get off of there before I throw you off!" Another officer yelled as he angrily waved his fist at him. Just like all of the others, the man wasn't taking him seriously. Then again, who could blame him? After all, he was wearing a clown suit. It was around then that the majority of the Britannians, including the news anchors, finally noticed his presence.

"Who is that? A clown?" One of the bystanders said as Allen straightened his jacket.

"Damn fool is going to get himself killed, it's probably just some Eleven punk trying to get attention." He heard the cameraman he had talked to before say as several people started to laugh.

"Sir, at the moment, you are directly interfering with a government operation. I'll have to request that you immediately get off of the knightmare and turn yourself in. If you do this without complaint, I guarantee that you won't be charged with any serious crimes." The head officer said as more and more people started to take notice, by now, half of Japan was probably staring at him.

"I wish I could talk, but I can't risk having anyone recognize my voice... well, I guess it'd be fine as long as I do it in one of my voices." Allen thought as he stared down at the cockpit of the knightmare he was standing on. Thanks to his unusual attire, none of the Britannians were on-guard, not even the knightmare pilots. Of course, soon, that was going to change. But, it was nice that, for a second, he wasn't getting shot at. "Okay... let's get started..." he mumbled as his flicked his wrist, causing his hidden blades to come shooting out of his sleeves. Before anyone had the chance to notice what he was doing, Allen raised his arm into the air, and brought it down upon the top of the knightmare's cockpit. Like a cheap tin can, Allen effortlessly punctured the cockpit's steel casing, and then, with very minimal effort, he grabbed onto the hole that he had made and effortlessly ripped off the cockpit's metal roof. "Hi..." he jokingly whispered to the knightmare's shocked pilot, who was simply staring at him with his lower jaw hanging open. Without wasting a moment, he yanked the pilot out of his seat and tossed him into a nearby tree. For that brief moment, Allen felt his heart begin to beat like a war drum, and a monstrous smile appeared underneath his mask. "Alright..." he started as he immediately jumped to the next knightmare. "Let's get this party started."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone! How's it going? Like I promised, this chapter had a little bit of action in it. Of course, that's nothing compared to my next chapter which, if you can't already tell, is going to be action packed! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It took a while to write as this is kinda the last chapter before shit starts hitting the fan, so it took some time for me to get it all ready. But now, with it done, I can finally get into the themes and parts that I REALLY want to show you. Anyways, that's all for now, so, without further adieu, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your day, and I'll see you all in the next chapter of A New Dawn.**

**P.S. The next chapter of this won't be out until the next chapter of Beacon's Exorcist, which I am working on now.**

**P.S.S. Please remember to rate and review! It helps me know that there are still people reading!**

**Chapter 13: Laughing Devil**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone I'm back with another chapter of A New Dawn! It's kinda short-ish, but take it as my "welcome back" gift. I've got some good news by the way: I FINISHED MY BOOK! Right now I'm in the editing stage, so when I get further, I'll be sure to inform you guys. I just wanted to tell all of you that, as my book was the main reason why I haven't been updating nearly as much as I should have. Who would have thought that writing a novel would take so much time? However, now that it's done, and I've got more time to write, I can finally start shoveling out updates for this, and some other stories. Anyways, that's all I wanted to tell you guys for now. Basically, I finished my book, and that equals a more-frequent release schedule (like a chapter every two weeks, or a week once we get in December) compared to my previous record of a chapter every couple of months! So yeah, look forward to that!**

**Now then, with that out of the way, I'm going to close this off, so now then, without further adieu, let's get on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man or CG, all rights go to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Laughing Devil**

For a brief moment, time seemed to have stopped dead in its tracks. In those precious few seconds, the millions of Britannians who were watching, alongside Lelouch, his Black Knights, and thousands of others, could only stare in abstract shock as their minds tried to process the impossibility that they were witnessing. They all simply stood there, and took it all in.

After tossing the Britannian soldier aside, Allen could only step back and marvel at the crushing silence which now hung over the city. "It's so quiet that I could hear a pin drop." He thought as he tensed his legs and jumped over to one of the other knightmares. As he flew through the air, his white coat flapping in the breeze, Allen raised up his arms and prepared himself for another attack. Like with the one before it, his blades easily cut through the knightmare's hard metal shell. Within moments, he had carved his way to the device's pilot. Not wasting a second, Allen tore the cockpit open and proceeded to drag the man, who was still very-much in a state of shock, out of the knightmare. After he tossed the pilot aside, he clambered up to the top of the, now-ruined, device, and surveyed his surroundings. In total, there were three more knightmares scattered throughout the area, along with a veritable army of military police. By now, the cogs in his audience's heads had finally started to turn. And soon, the air was filled with the screams of thousands of onlooking citizens.

"It-it's a terrorist!" One of the Britannians screamed. Like a spark to a pile of gunpowder, a massive panic soon erupted amongst the Britannian citizenry. Hundreds immediately turned to flee into some of the surrounding alleyways, and many rushed into the neighboring buildings in an attempt to find cover. Several pedestrians, many of them children, got trampled underneath the rush of the crowd. And, off in the distance, Allen could hear the sound of several vehicles screeching to a halt as escaping civilians ran into the roads. The military police, who were obviously still trying to process the fact that he had torn-through two knightmares with his bare hands, immediately sprang into action.

"Units one, two, and three, hurry up and form a perimeter around that terrorist! Somebody go and check on those two pilots, I want to make sure that they're okay!" A man in his late-thirties, who appeared to be this contingent's commanding officer, yelled as he hastily drew his pistol from its holster. "All of you be careful, he must've used some form of controlled explosive to get those cockpits open." With his orders given, the commander took a step back, and allowed his men to get into formation. Within seconds, Allen was completely surrounded. Every soldier had their gun fixed right on the center of his head. While the three knightmares that were left moved onto his flanks, cutting off any means of escape. Once they were all in position, the commanding officer lifted up his megaphone and looked straight up at him. "Listen here, terrorist, you may have gotten lucky by destroying a couple of our knightmares, but don't let that go to your head! We have you cornered! If you don't surrender now, I can't promise that you'll get out of here unscathed!" The man yelled as Allen heard several of the soldiers ready their weapons. Like moths to flame, a small group of reporters, who were no doubt working for the Britannian propaganda-machine, dotted the area surrounding him.

"Hmph, they must think that it's all over for me." Allen thought as his lips spread into a small grin. Ever since he sliced through that first knightmare, a mellow sense of happiness and nostalgia had washed over him. He wasn't sure why this was, but, for some reason, being back on the battlefield seemed to stir him on like nothing else. "Heh, some things never change..." The sensation he was experiencing was similar to that when he had first laid eyes on a level three akuma. The feeling of his frozen heart starting to thaw. "Okay then..." he mumbled to himself as he readied his blades, "I guess it's time for the show to begin!"

"W-what?!" The commander yelled as Allen jumped off of the broken knightmare. Not wasting a moment, he immediately dove into the crowd of military police and started his assault. The speed with which his legs, arms, and blades, moved at was simply inhuman. Compared to the akuma that he had faced every day, these men and women were little more than teddy bears. By the time any of them had the chance to react half of the soldiers were lying unconscious on the ground.

"Holy shit..." one of the soldiers whispered as he stared at the destruction that surrounded him, simply too shocked to move. Most of the remaining Britannian forces were in a similar state of shock. They all just stood there, in complete silence, and watched as their mysterious assailant made his way to his next target. This time, it was two of the military police's remaining three knightmares.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?! Are you all a bunch of rookies?! Hurry up and shoot him!" The regiment's commanding officer, who had managed to break himself out of his shock, screamed as he started to fire several shots in Allen's direction. As bullets flew past him, like raindrops in a thunderstorm, Allen detected the faint scent of gunpowder that now filled the air. As his nostrils slowly filled with the familiar smell, Allen felt his heart start to beat, and then, for a brief moment, he could the blood coursing through his body.

"This feeling!" He thought as he moved on to another group of soldiers. Like the previous group, they were no trouble at all, and within seconds he was within arms-reach of one of the knightmares. "My frozen heart is starting to beat..." Allen wondered as he sank one of his blades deep into the wires and mechanics of the knightmare's leg. Since it was still a machine, the attack did next to no damage. However, with his blade now firmly sheathed in the robot's metal hide, he could use it to fling himself up to the machine's cockpit.

"Dammit! Who in the world is this guy?! His strength is inhuman!" Allen heard the knightmare's pilot roar as he began to pull off the cockpit's protective casing. As he did this, what little was left of the Britannian's forces tried to stop him. Several soldiers, once again, filled the air with bullets. And the remaining two knightmares, who were hesitant at first to attack him, immediately started to hurry to their comrade's side. To avoid being turned into a pincushion by the Britannians' machine guns, Allen sank his blades back into the knightmare's hull, and crawled to the robot's opposite side.

"Tch! This terrorist is as nimble as a monkey! Do you think he's part of the Black Knights?!" Allen, once again, heard the knightmare's pilot say from within the cockpit. He sounded panicked, which, considering what was happening, wasn't that surprising. Thanks to the knightmare serving as his cover, the regular Britannian soldiers were forced to stand down. In this brief moment of silence, Allen was able to press his head against the side of the disheveled machine, and was able to listen in on some of the pilot's conversations.

"There's no way he's a member of the Black Knights." He heard someone else, who he assumed to be one of the other knightmares' pilots, say as he scrambled up to the top of the machine. "For one thing, if he was, we'd be getting mowed down by artillery fire by now. The fact that he's alone is more than enough evidence for us to conclude that he's a lone wolf. If I had to bet, I'd guess that he's probably a disgruntled Eleven or something."

"You honestly think some random civilian is responsible for causing all of this chaos?" Another soldier said as Allen dug his blades deep into the robot's armored shell. "Hey, watch out, I think that terrorist is trying something..." the panicked tone in the man's voice spoke volumes, it was obvious that they were terrified of him, why wouldn't they be?

"You've got to be kidding me! This armor is made out of a triple-bulletproof casing! There's no way that a single soldier could break through it! Especially if they aren't using a knightmare!" Like a horse trying to swat flies away, the knightmare Allen was latched on to started to flail its arms wildly through the air. However, by that time, he had already started to claw his way into the giant machine. Before any of the soldiers realized what was happening, Allen had dug his way into the pilot's cockpit. "Dear God... Sir! I'm not sure how, but the terrorist, he broke through the armor!" The pilot screamed as he reached for his pistol. Sadly, before he had the chance to fire it, Allen had reached up and clamped his left hand around the man's neck.

"What's wrong?! Soldier! Answer me!" Allen heard the regiment's commanding officer yell from the pilot's now-broken earpiece.

"Sorry for this," he said as he wrapped his hand around the man's throat and began to squeeze. The soldier struggled for a second or two, clawing at his mask the entire time, before he finally ran out of air and passed out. Besides the mask itself gaining a few unwanted scratches and dents, Allen was completely fine. "So this is what it feels like to fight humans..." until that day, he had never used his abilities on normal people before. These men weren't members of the Noah Family. Hell, they weren't even Crows. They were, at least in his eyes, no different than the average civilian. And that fact terrified him to no end. Sure, he was doing all of this to protect people, but that didn't change the reality of his actions. "I wonder what they're all thinking right now..." Allen thought as he clawed his way out of the knightmare. As he fell unceremoniously down to the ground, he looked up, saw the Britannians terrified faces, and clutched his chest. Once again, his heart started to beat erratically. Over time, it got worse and worse, until he could feel his body shake with every pulse. "What... is this?" Allen asked himself as he dodged another hail of bullets. For some reason, he felt strangely... happy. And that unnerved him to no end. "This feeling... this isn't normal." It wasn't unusual for his heartrate to elevate in the heat of battle, but this wasn't like that. Instead, it felt as if he was starting to wake up from a long dream. Or, would it be more accurate to call it a nightmare?

"Look out, he's heading this way!" One of the soldiers screamed after he had torn through the last of the knightmares. It was about time for him to bring this party to a close. And so, as he headed towards what few adversaries remained, he sighed, and looked up to stare at the starry sky above.

"This uneasy sense of foreboding, what could it mean?"

* * *

"Holy shit! That guy's amazing!" Tamaki yelped as he watched the last of the Britannian soldiers fall to the ground. In the span of just a few minutes, an entire regiment of the Britannian's military police, including knightmares, had been taken out by a single man. After knocking the final soldier unconscious, the mysterious costumed-adversary immediately turned around and dashed into one of the nearby alleyways. Immediately after this, the channel they were watching cut to a commercial break, one that was no-doubt ordered by the Britannian government. As an ad for sugary cereal rang through the Black Knights' mobile headquarters, several members shot up from their seats to join Tamaki in utter-bewilderment.

"I can't believe it..." Ohgi mumbled as he turned to face Kallen and Rakshata. "Did you two see how he disabled those knightmares? It looked as if he clawed-through their armor using just his bare hands. But that's impossible, right?" As he spoke, Rakshata nodded and nervously pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're correct, even though those knightmares were nothing more than basic models, their protective shielding should still be top of the line. To remove their armor like that would require a pulling force of several-thousand Newtons, at least. Simply put, with what that man had, he shouldn't have even been able to dent them." Rakshata's words ushered in an uneasy silence that washed over everyone present. None of them knew how to deal with this situation.

"Do you think that man might've hidden some sort of small strength-enhancing device in his clothes?" Kallen asked, Rakshata just laughed and shook her head. After all, if technology like that were possible, then the Britannians, who were at the forefront of the world's military-development, would've used it on them already. No... as crazy as it sounded, the source of the mysterious assailant's immense strength was probably biological in nature.

"They must've used some sort of performance-enhancing drug, there's no other logical explanation." Rakshata mumbled as she scratched her chin and looked back up at the screen. "However, without a sample of their blood, I can't say that for certain." This entire situation was positively vexing for her, and she had no doubt in her mind that other persons of science were also puzzled by the assailant's neigh-inhuman strength. "I wonder... what would the Earl of Pudding say if he were watching this broadcast?" Knowing him, he'd probably rush straight to the scene to research the event and record data. Even if they couldn't find anything, their efforts would sway other scientists and agencies to take action.

"You seem intrigued, Rakshata." She heard Zero say from his seat at the other end of the lobby. The Black Knights' leader had watched the entire broadcast in silence. As expected, unlike the rest of them, he had remained calm and collected. However, that didn't mean that he was perfectly fine. The average layman or soldier wouldn't have been able to spot it, but Kallen, Ohgi, Rakshata, Diethard, and all of the others in the Black Knights' mobile headquarters, noticed that their leader had become slightly agitated. There wasn't any reason in particular for this. It was just that, after working with the man for so long, they, his commanders, had gotten used to dealing with his strange mannerisms. It was his slightly-quickened breath, and a tiny change in his tone, that gave him away. And when they all realized that, several of them, especially Kallen, felt an odd sense of relief.

"You know, even as one of Zero's most-trusted soldiers, sometimes I forget that there's a human being resting underneath that mask." Kallen thought as her lips curled into a small smile. It was moments like these that made her feel truly blessed. After all, besides them, nobody else ever had the chance to see Zero like this. To see him shocked, and off-balance. Sure, he hid it well, but they all saw it. Even the world's best gamblers had moments where their poker face fell off. And in a strange situation like this, such a reaction was normal. After all, all of them had just witnessed something that, just yesterday, they all thought impossible. A single soldier had taken out an entire regiment of Britannian soldiers, using nothing more than a pair of blades and his bare hands. Even Zero, their genius leader, had to have been surprised by such a sight.

"Yeah," Rakshata said as she nodded her head. "I'm really curious as to how that person managed to defeat those knightmares. I may have to ask some of my partners back in India to do some research, would that be okay?"

"Hmm... I'll have to think about that. Go ahead and contact your affiliates, but be ready to halt the investigation on a moment's notice." Zero said, causing all of them to raise a confused eyebrow.

"Why do you say that, Zero? I mean, that clown isn't connected to the Black Knights, so I don't see a reason why we have to be so cautious. It isn't like the Britannians can link him back to us." Tamaki said as he sank into one of the red couches. In response, Zero just sighed, got up, and grabbed the remote. As he slowly flipped through the many channels, he turned back to Tamaki and started to explain.

"In many ways you're correct, Tamaki. You don't have to be a genius to realize that that man isn't connected to us. For starters, there's the obvious fact that he appears to be working alone. Plus, his actions, when compared to ours, are relatively minor. While we Black Knights pride ourselves as warriors of justice, we are also a revolutionary cell. To accomplish our goals, each and every one of our missions has to serve a greater purpose beyond just justice. We always have to keep our eyes forward, which is why we sometimes have to turn our gaze away from relatively-minor altercations like this. After all, if we deployed knightmares to save every possible victim of Britannian oppression, it would only be a matter of time before we'd drain our budget. However, that being said, even though it's obvious that we had nothing to do with that clown's assault. That doesn't mean that this can't become a problem for us in the future."

"What do you mean by that, Zero?" Diethard wondered out loud as their leader finally arrived on his desired channel. To be specific, it was a late night news channel that was covering a familiar topic. Namely, the knighting of Suzaku Kururugi.

"As I'm sure you all know, several Britannians are displeased at the prospect of Kururugi's knighting. Several groups, us included, have been rather inconvenienced by this turn of events. However, several amongst the Japanese population view this as a joyous occasion. The support for Kururugi is growing every day, and, for this most part, this has done wonders for your countrymen's moral." Lelouch couldn't deny that Suzaku had definitely had a positive impact on the Japanese population. However, in this scenario, that very same positive reinforcement could be used against him.

"Going by recent events," Lelouch continued, "It's very possible that whoever defeated those knightmares is a supporter of Kururugi's. Or, at least, that's what the Britannian media will say." It wasn't that far of a stretch, after all. The only group of people with the courage to stick their necks out for Japanese were other Japanese. And when you considered the fact that the Military Police's assault on that apartment building was in direct-response to Kururugi's knighting, it was simply logical to make the conclusion that the mysterious clown-masked assailant, who saved the building, shared Suzaku's mindset. "In that case, if the Britannian military caught wind of us investigating that man, there's a chance that they could use that to implicate Kururugi, and thereby, all other Honorary Britannians, with us."

"That is definitely a situation that we should strive to avoid..." Diethard said as he bit his thumb. Even though Kururugi had caused problems for them, they couldn't risk the Britannians using him as an excuse to mow-down more ghettos. Doing that would go against everything the Black Knights stood for.

"Keeping that in mind, Rakshata, I give you permission to investigate. But do so with a light hand." Lelouch ordered as he turned his attention to Diethard. "And you, Diethard, I want you to write up a statement. Make it clear where we stand on this issue. I don't want to give the Britannians the chance to label that clown as our comrade before we had the chance to say anything."

"Understood, I'll get right on it, Zero." Diethard said as he and Rakshata hurried out of the mobile headquarters. A few minutes later, after confirming the final details with the others, Kallen, Ohgi, and the rest of the Black Knights' most-prominent members, also headed off to complete their assignments. Lelouch had a bad feeling about how the Britannians would react to that clown's attack, and so he wanted to make sure that he was prepared. Eventually, everyone had left, leaving Lelouch alone in that empty parking garage. For a few seconds, he just stood there, not saying a word. Until, slowly, he collapsed into one of the cushioned seats, and hesitantly took his mask off.

In that dimly-lit room, it wasn't easy to see, but he was as pale as a sheet. He had strained his body to keep up his Zero persona. And now, with nobody there, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. Over the next couple of seconds, his body started to shake, and an old, unfamiliar, feeling washed over him. "I don't understand..." he thought as cradled his head in his arms. "That clown... why am I so afraid of him?"

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Well, now another chapter is down for the count! First off, let me say first that I'm SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. I know that I say this a lot, but uni's currently been hammering me down, so I haven't had much time to write. HOWEVER! Since I finished my book, I now should have a lot more time to work on my stories. Anyways, the main reason for this note is because I wanted to let all of you know about another little vote that I'm having. Basically, I've found out that, with my book finished, I'll have enough time to start a new DGM crossover (since I'm planning on finishing my oldest story on here soon). And, after some consideration, I've decided that, since you guys are going to be the ones reading it, that I'll let you decide what crossover I make! So, yeah, without further adieu, here are the options:**

**-Black Lagoon**

**-Fairy Tail**

**-Boku No Hero Academia**

**I've already notified my followers on my other DGM crossover about this little vote, and I wanted to get you all in on this as well! If you have an opinion/preference on which one you'd want me to write, please just leave a vote either as a PM or via the review function! Anyways, that's all for me! So, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all on the next chapter of A New Dawn (which this time won't take multiple months, I promise!).**

**Like I said before, the reason for this long wait has mainly been my book, but now that that puppy's currently in the middle of being edited, I now have much more time to work on my -man crossovers, so look forward to those in the coming weeks!**

**Chapter 14: Messiah **


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